Over the past week, President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a> posted or reposted about 145 messages on Twitter lashing out at the results of an election he lost. He mentioned the coronavirus pandemic now reaching its darkest hours four times — and even then just to assert that he was right about the outbreak and the experts were wrong.

Moody and by accounts of his advisers sometimes depressed, the president barely shows up to work, ignoring the health and economic crises afflicting the nation and largely clearing his public schedule of meetings unrelated to his desperate bid to rewrite the election results. He has fixated on rewarding friends, purging the disloyal and punishing a growing list of perceived enemies that now includes Republican governors, his own attorney general and even Fox News.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/were-winning-this-election-trump-at-first-post-poll-rally-347807" hreflang="en">'We're winning this election': Trump at first post-poll rally</a>

The final days of the Trump presidency have taken on the stormy elements of a drama more common to history or literature than a modern <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/the-white-house">White House</a>. His rage and detached-from-reality refusal to concede defeat evoke images of a besieged overlord in some distant land defiantly clinging to power rather than going into exile, or an erratic English monarch imposing his version of reality on his cowed court.

And while he will leave office in 45 days, the last few weeks may only foreshadow what he will be like after he departs. Trump will almost certainly try to shape the national conversation from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida and his relentless campaign to discredit the election could undercut his successor, President-elect Joe Biden. Although many Republicans would like to move on, he appears intent on forcing them to remain in thrall to his need for vindication and vilification, even after his term expires.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-allies-take-pennsylvania-vote-complaint-to-us-supreme-court-347797" hreflang="en">Donald Trump allies take Pennsylvania vote complaint to US Supreme Court</a>

On Saturday night, Trump took his unreality show to Georgia for his first major public appearance since the Nov. 3 election. A rally to support two Republican senators in a runoff next month offered a high-profile opportunity to vent his grievances and promote his false claims that he was somehow cheated of a second term by a vast conspiracy.

“You know we won Georgia, just so you understand,” he told supporters in a state that he lost by 12,000 votes, adding that he actually won other states where in fact he lost too. “They cheated and they rigged our presidential election, but we will still win it,” he declared as he pressured Republican state officials to overturn the results. “We just need somebody with courage to do what they have to do.”

At times, Trump’s railing-against-his-fate outbursts seem like a story straight out of William Shakespeare, part tragedy, part farce, full of sound and fury. Is Trump a modern-day Julius Caesar, forsaken by even some of his closest courtiers? (Et tu, Bill Barr?) Or a King Richard III who wars with the nobility until being toppled by Henry VII? Or King Lear, railing against those who do not love and appreciate him sufficiently? How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless electorate.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/criminal-cruel-and-traitorous-donald-trump-belongs-in-prison-says-his-niece-mary-trump-347718" hreflang="en">'Criminal, cruel and traitorous' Donald Trump belongs in prison, says his niece Mary Trump</a>

“This is classic Act V behavior,” said Jeffrey Wilson, a Shakespearean scholar at Harvard who published the book “Shakespeare and Trump” this year. “The forces are being picked off and the tyrant is holed up in his castle and he’s growing increasingly anxious and he feels insecure and he starts blustering about his legitimate sovereignty and he starts accusing the opposition of treason.”

Unlike any of his modern predecessors, Trump has not called his victorious opponent, much less invited him to the White House for the traditional postelection visit. Trump has indicated that he may not attend Biden’s inauguration, which would make him the first sitting president since 1869 to refuse to participate in the most important ritual of the peaceful transfer of power.

He has been enabled by Republican leaders unwilling to stand up to him, even if many privately wish he would go away sooner rather than later. After being called “profiles in cowardice” by an ally of the president, 75 Republican state legislators from Pennsylvania on Friday disavowed their own election and called on Congress to reject the state’s electors for Biden. Only 27 of 249 Republican members of Congress surveyed by The Washington Post publicly acknowledged Biden’s victory. Trump condemned them Saturday as “RINOS,” meaning Republicans in name only.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-orders-a-near-total-withdrawal-of-us-troops-from-somalia-347606" hreflang="en">Trump orders a near total withdrawal of US troops from Somalia</a>

“He really has paid attention to the base,” said Christopher Ruddy, a friend of the president’s and chief executive of Newsmax, part of the conservative news media megaphone that has amplified Trump’s allegations. “They got him elected and, in his mind, got him elected the second time. And they’re strongly in favor of this recount effort and they want him to continue this. In his mind, he’s not just doing this for himself he’s doing it for his supporters and for the country. He’s on a mission, and he’s not going to be easily swayed.”

Trump’s Twitter feed is a fire hose of denial. “NO WAY WE LOST THIS ELECTION,” he wrote at one point in recent days. “We won Michigan by a lot!” he wrote at another of a state he lost by more than 154,000 votes. He reposted a message seeking to delegitimize Biden: “If he is inaugurated under these circumstances, he cannot be considered ‘president’ but instead referred to as the #presidentialoccupant.”

And he has turned on his own party, angry that Republican leaders have refused to accept his baseless claims and overturn the will of the voters. Shortly before arriving in Georgia on Saturday, Trump called Gov. Brian Kemp to press him to convene a special legislative session to supplant the results there, then lashed out at the governor at the rally for rebuffing him. “Your governor could stop it very easily if he knew what the hell he was doing,” Trump said. He also tweeted that Kemp and Gov. Doug Ducey of Arizona, another Republican stalwart, “fight harder against us than do the Radical Left Dems.”

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/tenants-sue-trump-over-scheme-that-drove-up-their-rents-347463" hreflang="en">Tenants sue Trump over scheme that drove up their rents</a>

But even as the president desperately demands that somebody, anybody, tell him that he is right, no one in a position of authority has done so other than blood relatives, paid lawyers and partisan soul mates. The election has been certified and accepted not just by Democrats but also by key Republican governors, secretaries of state, election officials, city clerks, judges and even Trump administration officials.

After his own cybersecurity czar endorsed the integrity of the election, Trump fired him. Now that Attorney General William Barr has said he saw no fraud that would overturn the results, he may be next.

Trump’s video was so out of touch with the facts that both Facebook and Twitter appended warning notices lest viewers actually believe what the president of the United States was telling them. Which explains why the only topic other than the election to draw Trump’s interest over the last week was the annual defense bill that he vowed to veto because Congress did not strip a legal protection for big technology companies as he has demanded.

By contrast, he expressed little interest in the coronavirus now ravaging the country or the resulting economic devastation. Rather than “rounding the corner,” as Trump insisted once again Saturday night, the pandemic this past week began killing a record high of nearly 3,000 people in the United States every day, almost the equivalent of another Sept. 11 attack every 24 hours.

Trump made no comment on that in his Twitter rants, nor about the latest jobs report documenting the economic toll. His only four tweets mentioning the virus were about defending his own handling of it, including reposted messages asserting that “The president was RIGHT.”

With six weeks until he leaves office, Trump remains as unpredictable and erratic as ever. He may fire Barr or others, issue a raft of pardons to protect himself and his allies or incite a confrontation overseas. Like King Lear, he may fly into further rages and find new targets for his wrath.

“If there are these analogies between classic literature and society as it’s operating right now, then that should give us some big cause for concern this December,” said Wilson, the Shakespearean scholar. “We’re approaching the end of the play here and that’s where catastrophe always comes.”

Over the past week, President Donald Trump posted or reposted about 145 messages on Twitter lashing out at the results of an election he lost. He mentioned the coronavirus pandemic now reaching its darkest hours four times — and even then just to assert that he was right about the outbreak and the experts were wrong.

Over the past week, President Donald Trump posted or reposted about 145 messages on Twitter lashing out at the results of an election he lost. He mentioned the coronavirus pandemic now reaching its darkest hours four times — and even then just to assert that he was right about the outbreak and the experts were wrong. Moody and by accounts of his advisers sometimes depressed, the president barely shows up to work, ignoring the health and economic crises afflicting the nation and largely clearing his public schedule of meetings unrelated to his desperate bid to rewrite the election results. He has fixated on rewarding friends, purging the disloyal and punishing a growing list of perceived enemies that now includes Republican governors, his own attorney general and even Fox News. Also read| 'We're winning this election': Trump at first post-poll rally The final days of the Trump presidency have taken on the stormy elements of a drama more common to history or literature than a modern White House. His rage and detached-from-reality refusal to concede defeat evoke images of a besieged overlord in some distant land defiantly clinging to power rather than going into exile, or an erratic English monarch imposing his version of reality on his cowed court. And while he will leave office in 45 days, the last few weeks may only foreshadow what he will be like after he departs. Trump will almost certainly try to shape the national conversation from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida and his relentless campaign to discredit the election could undercut his successor, President-elect Joe Biden. Although many Republicans would like to move on, he appears intent on forcing them to remain in thrall to his need for vindication and vilification, even after his term expires. Also read| Donald Trump allies take Pennsylvania vote complaint to US Supreme Court On Saturday night, Trump took his unreality show to Georgia for his first major public appearance since the Nov. 3 election. A rally to support two Republican senators in a runoff next month offered a high-profile opportunity to vent his grievances and promote his false claims that he was somehow cheated of a second term by a vast conspiracy. “You know we won Georgia, just so you understand,” he told supporters in a state that he lost by 12,000 votes, adding that he actually won other states where in fact he lost too. “They cheated and they rigged our presidential election, but we will still win it,” he declared as he pressured Republican state officials to overturn the results. “We just need somebody with courage to do what they have to do.” At times, Trump’s railing-against-his-fate outbursts seem like a story straight out of William Shakespeare, part tragedy, part farce, full of sound and fury. Is Trump a modern-day Julius Caesar, forsaken by even some of his closest courtiers? (Et tu, Bill Barr?) Or a King Richard III who wars with the nobility until being toppled by Henry VII? Or King Lear, railing against those who do not love and appreciate him sufficiently? How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless electorate. Also read| 'Criminal, cruel and traitorous' Donald Trump belongs in prison, says his niece Mary Trump “This is classic Act V behavior,” said Jeffrey Wilson, a Shakespearean scholar at Harvard who published the book “Shakespeare and Trump” this year. “The forces are being picked off and the tyrant is holed up in his castle and he’s growing increasingly anxious and he feels insecure and he starts blustering about his legitimate sovereignty and he starts accusing the opposition of treason.” Unlike any of his modern predecessors, Trump has not called his victorious opponent, much less invited him to the White House for the traditional postelection visit. Trump has indicated that he may not attend Biden’s inauguration, which would make him the first sitting president since 1869 to refuse to participate in the most important ritual of the peaceful transfer of power. He has been enabled by Republican leaders unwilling to stand up to him, even if many privately wish he would go away sooner rather than later. After being called “profiles in cowardice” by an ally of the president, 75 Republican state legislators from Pennsylvania on Friday disavowed their own election and called on Congress to reject the state’s electors for Biden. Only 27 of 249 Republican members of Congress surveyed by The Washington Post publicly acknowledged Biden’s victory. Trump condemned them Saturday as “RINOS,” meaning Republicans in name only. Also read| Trump orders a near total withdrawal of US troops from Somalia “He really has paid attention to the base,” said Christopher Ruddy, a friend of the president’s and chief executive of Newsmax, part of the conservative news media megaphone that has amplified Trump’s allegations. “They got him elected and, in his mind, got him elected the second time. And they’re strongly in favor of this recount effort and they want him to continue this. In his mind, he’s not just doing this for himself he’s doing it for his supporters and for the country. He’s on a mission, and he’s not going to be easily swayed.” Trump’s Twitter feed is a fire hose of denial. “NO WAY WE LOST THIS ELECTION,” he wrote at one point in recent days. “We won Michigan by a lot!” he wrote at another of a state he lost by more than 154,000 votes. He reposted a message seeking to delegitimize Biden: “If he is inaugurated under these circumstances, he cannot be considered ‘president’ but instead referred to as the #presidentialoccupant.” And he has turned on his own party, angry that Republican leaders have refused to accept his baseless claims and overturn the will of the voters. Shortly before arriving in Georgia on Saturday, Trump called Gov. Brian Kemp to press him to convene a special legislative session to supplant the results there, then lashed out at the governor at the rally for rebuffing him. “Your governor could stop it very easily if he knew what the hell he was doing,” Trump said. He also tweeted that Kemp and Gov. Doug Ducey of Arizona, another Republican stalwart, “fight harder against us than do the Radical Left Dems.” Also read| Tenants sue Trump over scheme that drove up their rents But even as the president desperately demands that somebody, anybody, tell him that he is right, no one in a position of authority has done so other than blood relatives, paid lawyers and partisan soul mates. The election has been certified and accepted not just by Democrats but also by key Republican governors, secretaries of state, election officials, city clerks, judges and even Trump administration officials. After his own cybersecurity czar endorsed the integrity of the election, Trump fired him. Now that Attorney General William Barr has said he saw no fraud that would overturn the results, he may be next. Trump’s video was so out of touch with the facts that both Facebook and Twitter appended warning notices lest viewers actually believe what the president of the United States was telling them. Which explains why the only topic other than the election to draw Trump’s interest over the last week was the annual defense bill that he vowed to veto because Congress did not strip a legal protection for big technology companies as he has demanded. By contrast, he expressed little interest in the coronavirus now ravaging the country or the resulting economic devastation. Rather than “rounding the corner,” as Trump insisted once again Saturday night, the pandemic this past week began killing a record high of nearly 3,000 people in the United States every day, almost the equivalent of another Sept. 11 attack every 24 hours. Trump made no comment on that in his Twitter rants, nor about the latest jobs report documenting the economic toll. His only four tweets mentioning the virus were about defending his own handling of it, including reposted messages asserting that “The president was RIGHT.” With six weeks until he leaves office, Trump remains as unpredictable and erratic as ever. He may fire Barr or others, issue a raft of pardons to protect himself and his allies or incite a confrontation overseas. Like King Lear, he may fly into further rages and find new targets for his wrath. “If there are these analogies between classic literature and society as it’s operating right now, then that should give us some big cause for concern this December,” said Wilson, the Shakespearean scholar. “We’re approaching the end of the play here and that’s where catastrophe always comes.”

Donald Trump’s final days of rage and denial

The US Vice President-elect <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/kamala-harris">Kamala Harris </a>will soon be sworn in for her post along with the President-elect <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden?page=1">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;in January 2021 and Harris will be making history as the first African-American and South Asian woman to become the Vice President of the US.

Harris won't be the only one making history. Her husband, Doug&nbsp;Emhoff, will be leaving a mark in the history of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/the-white-house">White House</a> as he will be known as the first 'Second Gentleman' of the US.

Have a look| <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/new-residents-white-house-starts-preparing-for-joe-bidens-inauguration-347910">White House starts preparing for Joe Biden's inauguration ceremony</a>

In a recent interview with a local media house, Kamala Harris confirmed the rumours and admitted to her husband being&nbsp;officially referred to as the "Second Gentleman of the United States" in the near future.

"What should we be calling him? Is he the second gentleman? Is he the second dude?" was what the anchor asked her, to which Harris laughingly responded, "Well, I think the term has evolved into 'second gentleman." She continued the joke by adding, "I'll call him honey."

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/kamala-harris-just-shared-her-familys-favourite-thanksgiving-recipe-of-all-time-345327">Kamala Harris just shared her family's favourite Thanksgiving recipe of all time</a>

This is, however, not confirmed by the White House. Kamala Harris is the first woman Vice President of the US, making it the first time a husband will be needing a title for being the partner of the Vice President. Before Harris, all partners of the VPs have been female and have been referred to as the 'Second Lady' — a term which was coined by Jennie Tuttle Hobart, wife of Vice President Garret Hobart (1897–1899) during her time as he 'Second Lady'.

Kamala Harris' win has been marked as a historic against the outgoing Vice President Mike Pence, who was supported by the Second lady&nbsp;Karen Pence.

Doug Emhoff is an American lawyer will reportedly be quitting his position in a corporate firm and will be joining Harris in the White House. However, the reports have not been confirmed yet. Irrespective of the transition, Emhoff has always maintained he will be supporting his wife "forever".

The US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will soon be sworn in for her post along with the President-elect Joe Biden in January 2021 and Harris will be making history as the first African-American and South Asian woman to become the Vice President of the US.

The US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will soon be sworn in for her post along with the President-elect Joe Biden in January 2021 and Harris will be making history as the first African-American and South Asian woman to become the Vice President of the US. Harris won't be the only one making history. Her husband, Doug Emhoff, will be leaving a mark in the history of the White House as he will be known as the first 'Second Gentleman' of the US. Have a look| White House starts preparing for Joe Biden's inauguration ceremony In a recent interview with a local media house, Kamala Harris confirmed the rumours and admitted to her husband being officially referred to as the "Second Gentleman of the United States" in the near future. "What should we be calling him? Is he the second gentleman? Is he the second dude?" was what the anchor asked her, to which Harris laughingly responded, "Well, I think the term has evolved into 'second gentleman." She continued the joke by adding, "I'll call him honey." Also read| Kamala Harris just shared her family's favourite Thanksgiving recipe of all time This is, however, not confirmed by the White House. Kamala Harris is the first woman Vice President of the US, making it the first time a husband will be needing a title for being the partner of the Vice President. Before Harris, all partners of the VPs have been female and have been referred to as the 'Second Lady' — a term which was coined by Jennie Tuttle Hobart, wife of Vice President Garret Hobart (1897–1899) during her time as he 'Second Lady'. Kamala Harris' win has been marked as a historic against the outgoing Vice President Mike Pence, who was supported by the Second lady Karen Pence. Doug Emhoff is an American lawyer will reportedly be quitting his position in a corporate firm and will be joining Harris in the White House. However, the reports have not been confirmed yet. Irrespective of the transition, Emhoff has always maintained he will be supporting his wife "forever".

Kamala Harris' husband to become first 'Second Gentleman' of White House

Outgoing US president Donald Trump launched into another tirade of baseless claims at his first post-poll rally on Saturday.

At a rally in Valdosta, Georgia, Trump said the November 3 presidential vote was stolen from him, adding he would still end up winning.

"We're winning this election," Trump said.

"It's rigged. It's a fixed deal," he said of President-elect Joe Biden's victory.

Despite surging cases of Covid-19 nationwide, few masks could be seen at the rally and many in the crowd were not abiding by social-distancing measures.

Trump was campaigning in Georgia on behalf of two Republican Senate candidates facing a hugely important runoff on January 5. The runoff races will decide which party controls the US Senate, and Trump continued his fear-mongering about rival Democrats.

He was joined by first lady Melania Trump, who gave a short speech before the president's.

"The voters of Georgia will determine which party runs every committee, writes every piece of legislation, controls every single taxpayer dollar," he said.&nbsp;

"Very simply, you will decide whether your children will grow up in a socialist country or whether they will grow up in a free country."

Trump yet again made it clear he was neither ready to concede to Biden nor give up on his claims of fraud -- even though they have been dismissed by a long line of courts.

Biden won Georgia by just under 12,000 votes, becoming the first Democratic presidential candidate since Bill Clinton in 1992 to win the Republican stronghold.

Outgoing US president Donald Trump launched into another tirade of baseless claims at his first post-poll rally on Saturday. At a rally in Valdosta, Georgia, Trump said the November 3 presidential vote was stolen from him, adding he would still end up winning.

Outgoing US president Donald Trump launched into another tirade of baseless claims at his first post-poll rally on Saturday. At a rally in Valdosta, Georgia, Trump said the November 3 presidential vote was stolen from him, adding he would still end up winning. "We're winning this election," Trump said. "It's rigged. It's a fixed deal," he said of President-elect Joe Biden's victory. Despite surging cases of Covid-19 nationwide, few masks could be seen at the rally and many in the crowd were not abiding by social-distancing measures. Trump was campaigning in Georgia on behalf of two Republican Senate candidates facing a hugely important runoff on January 5. The runoff races will decide which party controls the US Senate, and Trump continued his fear-mongering about rival Democrats. He was joined by first lady Melania Trump, who gave a short speech before the president's. "The voters of Georgia will determine which party runs every committee, writes every piece of legislation, controls every single taxpayer dollar," he said. "Very simply, you will decide whether your children will grow up in a socialist country or whether they will grow up in a free country." Trump yet again made it clear he was neither ready to concede to Biden nor give up on his claims of fraud -- even though they have been dismissed by a long line of courts. Biden won Georgia by just under 12,000 votes, becoming the first Democratic presidential candidate since Bill Clinton in 1992 to win the Republican stronghold.

'We're winning this election': Trump at first post-poll rally

Pentagon on Sunday said that officials of its intelligence agencies will begin meeting members of US President-elect Joe Biden's transition team. Pentagon denied allegations that it was deliberately delaying commencement of the meetings. Washington Post has published a report on December 4 saying that Trump administration did not allow Biden's team to meet intelligence officials and US Defence Department "rejected" or "did not approve" requests for the meeting.

Pentagon released a statement and denied the allegations and said that it was fully cooperating with the President-elect's team.

“The accusation by anonymous sources that DoD has not been fulfilling its commitment to professionally assist any of the Agency Review Teams is demonstrably false and patently insulting,” said the statement.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/were-winning-this-election-trump-at-first-post-poll-rally-347807">'We're winning this election': Trump at first post-poll rally</a>

Donald Trump is yet to concede defeat in US Presidential Election 2020. He has continued levelling baseless charges of election fraud without presenting any evidence. In spite of suffering legal setbacks in number of courts in the US, Trump has chosen to repeat his allegations.

Even at his first post-poll rally in Georgia on Sunday (Indian Time) Trump said that he was <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/were-winning-this-election-trump-at-first-post-poll-rally-347807">going to win the presidential election</a>.

"We're winning this election," Trump said.

"It's rigged. It's a fixed deal," he said of President-elect Joe Biden's victory.

In the immediate aftermath of the election results when it was amply clear that Biden had won, there was reluctance from Trump administration to co-operate in the transition process. It is a norm for the ourgoing administration to co-operate with the President-elect and his team so that power transfer takes place smoothly. 
&nbsp;

Pentagon on Sunday said that officials of its intelligence agencies will begin meeting members of US President-elect Joe Biden's transition team. Pentagon denied allegations that it was deliberately delaying commencement of the meetings.

Pentagon on Sunday said that officials of its intelligence agencies will begin meeting members of US President-elect Joe Biden's transition team. Pentagon denied allegations that it was deliberately delaying commencement of the meetings. Washington Post has published a report on December 4 saying that Trump administration did not allow Biden's team to meet intelligence officials and US Defence Department "rejected" or "did not approve" requests for the meeting. Pentagon released a statement and denied the allegations and said that it was fully cooperating with the President-elect's team. “The accusation by anonymous sources that DoD has not been fulfilling its commitment to professionally assist any of the Agency Review Teams is demonstrably false and patently insulting,” said the statement. Also Read | 'We're winning this election': Trump at first post-poll rally Donald Trump is yet to concede defeat in US Presidential Election 2020. He has continued levelling baseless charges of election fraud without presenting any evidence. In spite of suffering legal setbacks in number of courts in the US, Trump has chosen to repeat his allegations. Even at his first post-poll rally in Georgia on Sunday (Indian Time) Trump said that he was going to win the presidential election. "We're winning this election," Trump said. "It's rigged. It's a fixed deal," he said of President-elect Joe Biden's victory. In the immediate aftermath of the election results when it was amply clear that Biden had won, there was reluctance from Trump administration to co-operate in the transition process. It is a norm for the ourgoing administration to co-operate with the President-elect and his team so that power transfer takes place smoothly.

Pentagon spy agencies to meet Biden team after facing accusations of non-cooperation

There have been few surprises this past month in how Donald Trump has dealt with the reality of his electoral defeat.

Anyone familiar with his career could have predicted that he would claim to have been cheated out of victory. Anyone watching how he wielded power (or, more often, didn’t) as president could have predicted that his efforts to challenge the election results would be embarrassing, ridiculous and dismissed with prejudice in court. And anyone watching how the Republican Party dealt with his ascent could have predicted that its leaders would mostly avoid directly rebuking him, relying instead on the inertial forces of American democracy, the conscientiousness of judges and local officialdom, and Trump’s own incompetence to turn back his final power grab.

So far, so predictable. But speaking as a cynical observer of the Trump era, one feature of November did crack my jaded shell a bit: not his behavior or the system’s response, but the sheer scale of the belief among conservatives that the election was really stolen, measured not just in polling data but in conversations and arguments, online and in person, with people I would not have expected to embrace it.

The potency of this belief has already scrambled some of the conventional explanations for conspiratorial beliefs, particularly the conceit that the key problem is misinformation spreading downward from partisan news outlets and social media fraudsters to the easily deceived. As I watch the way certain fraud theories spread online, or watch conservatives abandon Fox News for Newsmax in search of validating narratives, it’s clear that this is about demand as much as supply. A strong belief spurs people to go out in search of evidence, a lot of so-called disinformation is collected and circulated sincerely rather than cynically, and the power of various authorities — Tucker Carlson’s show or Facebook’s algorithm — to change beliefs is relatively limited.

But what has struck me, especially, is how the belief in a stolen election has spread among people I wouldn’t have thought of as particularly Trumpy or super-partisan, who aren’t cable news junkies or intensely online, who didn’t even seem that invested in the election before it happened.

Others have taken note of the same phenomenon: At National Review, Michael Brendan Dougherty writes that “friends who I did not know were political are sending me little snippets of allegations of voter fraud and manipulation.” At The American Mind, the pseudonymous Californian Peachy Keenan describes watching a passel of lukewarm Trump-supporter moms in her Catholic parish suddenly “get MAGAfied” by election conspiracy theories. (As a fraud believer herself, she thinks that’s a good thing.)

Drawn from my conversations in the past few weeks, here’s an attempt at a taxonomy of these unlikely seeming fraud believers.

The conspiracy-curious normie

I say “normie” to reflect the reality that being open to the possibility of conspiracies is itself extremely normal and commonplace. There is nothing unusual, statistically speaking, about believing that a Cold War-era deep state assassinated John F. Kennedy or that the government is concealing evidence of UFOs. Conspiracy theories are common among Democrats as well as Republicans: Witness the polling on Russia’s supposed tampering with vote totals in 2016 or George W. Bush’s supposed foreknowledge of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks; recall the voting-machine theory spun to explain John Kerry’s narrow defeat in 2004.

This means you don’t need a complex story about Facebook or Fox News to understand why a person who isn’t intensely political might nonetheless be open to the idea that an election settled by tens of thousands of votes in a few key states was actually fixed for the winner. That kind of openness is just human nature — and not the worst part of human nature, either, given that conspiracies and cover-ups exist (the military really has been hiding weird evidence of UFOs!) and even wrongheaded theories often partake of a reasonable skepticism about elite malfeasance, from the Gulf of Tonkin era to the Jeffrey Epstein case.

What’s happened in the past month with our open-minded normie, though, is that this openness has been validated by the president of the United States and his retainers in a way that other forms of conspiracy curiosity are not. There is a long-standing pattern in both political parties of gently encouraging conspiracizing. (The Diebold-stole-Ohio theories in 2004 were given oxygen by prominent congressional Democrats; MSNBC’s Russiagate coverage was not exactly cautious in the theories that it entertained.) But Trump is obviously different — higher-profile and more radical. He’s a president, not a cable TV host or a congressman, and he’s shouting allegations, any allegations, with no pussyfooting, hedging or deniability involved.

If you are biased against conspiracy theories, this shouting is ridiculous. If you’re somewhat open toward them, though, and somewhat right-of-center, it provides encouragement. It’s not that the curious normie listens to Trump and thinks that everything he says is true. It’s that Trump is providing validation for the belief that something might be true, that where there are so many claims of fraud a few might be accurate, that where there’s so much smoke there might be a blaze or two as well.

Of course there are also lots of pure Trump loyalists who trust his claims absolutely, and a certain number of QAnon-type fantasists who embrace any theory no matter how baroque. But the voter fraud narrative is pervasive on the right because you don’t have to be a loyalist or a fantasist to take something from Trump’s rants — not belief itself, but the permission to believe.

The outsider-intellectual

The next category of believer consists of extremely smart people whose self-identification is bound up in constantly questioning and doubting official forms of knowledge. Conservatism has always had plenty of this sort in its ranks, but the consolidated progressive orthodoxy in elite institutions means that more and more people come to conservative ideas because they seem like a secret knowledge, an account of the world that’s compelling and yet excluded from official discourse.

This, in turn, instills a perpetual suspicion about anything that seems to have too much of a liberal consensus defending it, especially any idea that gets mocked and laughed at more than it gets rebutted. And it creates a strong epistemological bias toward what you can only find out for yourself,&nbsp;as opposed to what Yale’s experts or Twitter’s warning labels or The New York Times might tell you.

In many cases the outsider-intellectual’s approach generates real insight. (Anonymous right-wing Twitter was way out ahead of the coronavirus threat, for instance, at a time when official liberalism was still fretting more about xenophobia than the virus itself.) But it also tends to recapitulate the closed-circle problems of the official knowledge it rejects.

Thus the outsider-intellectual type looks at the no-voter-fraud consensus and immediately goes out in search of cracks in the pillar of official truth, anomalies that official certainty elides. A lot of the supposed evidence of fraud that circulates online comes from these efforts — not from grifts or lies (though grifters and liars do pick them up) but from sincere analyses of election data, which inevitably turn up anomalies here and there, which confirm the searchers’ assumptions, which closes the circle and convinces them that the official narrative is false and voter fraud is real.

The recently radicalized

This final camp includes many of the people reading and circulating the outsider-intellectual analyses — people on the right whose perceptions of what liberal institutions and actors are capable of doing have been altered by the coronavirus era.

Many liberals have spent the Trump years worried about a kind of Reichstag Fire moment, a crisis that Trump might use as an excuse to consolidate authoritarianism. But a lot of conservatives experienced May and June of the COVID era as a mirror image of those anti-Trump fears — as a crisis that seemed to be deliberately exploited for revolutionary purposes by politicians and activists of the left.

Their story of the spring and early summer starts with our country’s leaders and experts calling for unprecedented sacrifice, with lockdowns and closures that disproportionately affected small businesses, churches and families with children — all conservative-coded groups and institutions — while liberal professionals on Zoom were in better shape and the great powers of Silicon Valley expanded their influence and wealth. Then, based on a single activist-amplified case of police brutality, the same experts and politicians suddenly abandoned restrictions for the sake of left-wing protests … which the official media pretended were peaceful even when they cut a violent swathe through American cities … which included a wave of iconoclasm against key symbols of American history … even as a new ideological vocabulary seemed to suddenly take over elite institutions … and dissenting figures were purged … and in the background the world’s elites loudly announced that they were seeking a “Great Reset,” a post-coronavirus new world order.

For the radicalized, all this felt stage-managed, prearranged — both as a further escalation in the establishment’s battle against Trump, a successor to the Robert Mueller investigation and the impeachment push, and as an attempt to use the weirdness of the COVID situation to consolidate radical power within elite institutions. Experiencing and interpreting the summer of 2020 this way primed people to expect further escalation in the fall: After all, if liberals exploited a pandemic to stage-manage an ideological revolution, why wouldn’t&nbsp;they exploit all the weird features of pandemic voting to stage-manage the election outcome?

No doubt some of my liberal readers will find this question too ridiculous to even merit an answer. You can’t argue someone out of a conspiracy theory,&nbsp;a common axiom goes, which means the only appropriate response to these ideas is condemnation and a kind of quarantine — to be achieved, presumably, through better Facebook algorithms, the comprehensive political defeat of the Republican Party and some sort of “have you no sense of decency, sir” courage from news anchors and political leaders whenever right-wing paranoia reemerges.

I don’t see any way that these efforts will work. (Certainly on the evidence of 2020, the Republican Party isn’t going anywhere, let alone about to be “burned to the ground” as some anti-Trumpers hoped.)

Of course the alternative — actually trying to argue with people in the camps I’ve just described — may not work either, especially given the curated virtual realities that the internet increasingly enables us all to inhabit. But I’ve been argued in and out of a few outré theories in my life. (Only the best outré theories, I assure you.) And if you accept that there’s more reasoning&nbsp;involved in conspiracy theorizing than official wisdom suggests, then once such theories achieve a certain prominence, there’s an obligation to actually make the case against them rather than just laugh them away.

My own attempts at argument have run as follows: To the conspiracy-curious Republican whose curiosity is validated by Trump’s allegations of fraud, I’ve suggested that the place to look for fire amid the smoke is in claims that the president’s lawyers are actually willing to advance in court, as opposed to in news conferences, semiofficial hearings and on Twitter. Those lawyers — especially now that it’s mostly just the Rudy Giuliani show — have every incentive to blow a fraud case wide open. If their &lt;em&gt;legal&lt;/em&gt; claims don’t actually allege fraud or they fall apart under scrutiny, then so should your assumption that the president’s blustering must have some real-world correlative.

To the outsider-intellectuals fascinated by anomalies in ballot counts or ballot return patterns, I’ve argued that anomalies indicating fraud would have to show up in the final vote totals — meaning some pattern of results in key swing state cities that differ starkly from the results in cities in less-contested states, or some turnout pattern in a swing state’s suburbs that looks weird relative to the suburbs in a deep-blue or deep-red state. But where claims for those kinds of anomalies have been offered, they’ve turned out to be false. So until a compelling example can be cited, anomalies in the counting process should be presumed to be error or randomness, not fraud.

Finally to the radicalized, I’ve tried to convey, based on my own knowledge of how liberal institutions work, that what looked stage-managed to outsiders in the May and June disturbances actually reflected organic upheaval and division, sincere anti-racism and disorganized Trump-phobia, a crisis in the mind of liberalism, a dose of religious revival, plus a chaotic revolt by city-dwellers against a lockdown experience that fell heavily on them. Hypocrisy and radicalism alike there was in plenty, but literally nobody was in charge, except sometimes for activists in the younger generation who sensed a professional opportunity, and any supposed “plan” or “reset” was just a hapless attempt by elder statesmen to get woke.

Put more succinctly: The liberal establishment that I watched stagger through May and June could not plan a sweeping voter-fraud conspiracy to save its life.

Have I persuaded anyone with these arguments? Maybe not, and as a columnist for a noted establishment organ, I’m probably not the best person to make them anyway. That distinction belongs to people more enmeshed in the conservative universe, scribes for National Review and talk radio hosts and conservative media critics, all of whom are the more important arguers for an intra-Republican debate.

I am certain that these issues are connected to a larger and more important question for the future of the right. At the moment, the voter-fraud narrative is being deployed, often by people more cynical than the groups I’ve just described, to help an outgoing president — one who twice lost the popular vote and displayed gross incompetence in the face of his administration’s greatest challenge — stake a permanent claim to the leadership of his party and establish himself as the presumptive Republican nominee in 2024.

And it’s being used to push aside the more compelling narrative that the Republican Party could take away from 2020, which is that Trump’s presidency demonstrated that populism can provide a foundation for conservatism, but to build on it the right needs a very different leader than the man Joe Biden just defeated.

That’s the most important argument for the next four years — and one I’ll be making firmly, passionately, right up until the Republican Party nominates Trump again in 2024.

There have been few surprises this past month in how Donald Trump has dealt with the reality of his electoral defeat. Anyone familiar with his career could have predicted that he would claim to have been cheated out of victory.

There have been few surprises this past month in how Donald Trump has dealt with the reality of his electoral defeat. Anyone familiar with his career could have predicted that he would claim to have been cheated out of victory. Anyone watching how he wielded power (or, more often, didn’t) as president could have predicted that his efforts to challenge the election results would be embarrassing, ridiculous and dismissed with prejudice in court. And anyone watching how the Republican Party dealt with his ascent could have predicted that its leaders would mostly avoid directly rebuking him, relying instead on the inertial forces of American democracy, the conscientiousness of judges and local officialdom, and Trump’s own incompetence to turn back his final power grab. So far, so predictable. But speaking as a cynical observer of the Trump era, one feature of November did crack my jaded shell a bit: not his behavior or the system’s response, but the sheer scale of the belief among conservatives that the election was really stolen, measured not just in polling data but in conversations and arguments, online and in person, with people I would not have expected to embrace it. The potency of this belief has already scrambled some of the conventional explanations for conspiratorial beliefs, particularly the conceit that the key problem is misinformation spreading downward from partisan news outlets and social media fraudsters to the easily deceived. As I watch the way certain fraud theories spread online, or watch conservatives abandon Fox News for Newsmax in search of validating narratives, it’s clear that this is about demand as much as supply. A strong belief spurs people to go out in search of evidence, a lot of so-called disinformation is collected and circulated sincerely rather than cynically, and the power of various authorities — Tucker Carlson’s show or Facebook’s algorithm — to change beliefs is relatively limited. But what has struck me, especially, is how the belief in a stolen election has spread among people I wouldn’t have thought of as particularly Trumpy or super-partisan, who aren’t cable news junkies or intensely online, who didn’t even seem that invested in the election before it happened. Others have taken note of the same phenomenon: At National Review, Michael Brendan Dougherty writes that “friends who I did not know were political are sending me little snippets of allegations of voter fraud and manipulation.” At The American Mind, the pseudonymous Californian Peachy Keenan describes watching a passel of lukewarm Trump-supporter moms in her Catholic parish suddenly “get MAGAfied” by election conspiracy theories. (As a fraud believer herself, she thinks that’s a good thing.) Drawn from my conversations in the past few weeks, here’s an attempt at a taxonomy of these unlikely seeming fraud believers. The conspiracy-curious normie I say “normie” to reflect the reality that being open to the possibility of conspiracies is itself extremely normal and commonplace. There is nothing unusual, statistically speaking, about believing that a Cold War-era deep state assassinated John F. Kennedy or that the government is concealing evidence of UFOs. Conspiracy theories are common among Democrats as well as Republicans: Witness the polling on Russia’s supposed tampering with vote totals in 2016 or George W. Bush’s supposed foreknowledge of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks; recall the voting-machine theory spun to explain John Kerry’s narrow defeat in 2004. This means you don’t need a complex story about Facebook or Fox News to understand why a person who isn’t intensely political might nonetheless be open to the idea that an election settled by tens of thousands of votes in a few key states was actually fixed for the winner. That kind of openness is just human nature — and not the worst part of human nature, either, given that conspiracies and cover-ups exist (the military really has been hiding weird evidence of UFOs!) and even wrongheaded theories often partake of a reasonable skepticism about elite malfeasance, from the Gulf of Tonkin era to the Jeffrey Epstein case. What’s happened in the past month with our open-minded normie, though, is that this openness has been validated by the president of the United States and his retainers in a way that other forms of conspiracy curiosity are not. There is a long-standing pattern in both political parties of gently encouraging conspiracizing. (The Diebold-stole-Ohio theories in 2004 were given oxygen by prominent congressional Democrats; MSNBC’s Russiagate coverage was not exactly cautious in the theories that it entertained.) But Trump is obviously different — higher-profile and more radical. He’s a president, not a cable TV host or a congressman, and he’s shouting allegations, any allegations, with no pussyfooting, hedging or deniability involved. If you are biased against conspiracy theories, this shouting is ridiculous. If you’re somewhat open toward them, though, and somewhat right-of-center, it provides encouragement. It’s not that the curious normie listens to Trump and thinks that everything he says is true. It’s that Trump is providing validation for the belief that something might be true, that where there are so many claims of fraud a few might be accurate, that where there’s so much smoke there might be a blaze or two as well. Of course there are also lots of pure Trump loyalists who trust his claims absolutely, and a certain number of QAnon-type fantasists who embrace any theory no matter how baroque. But the voter fraud narrative is pervasive on the right because you don’t have to be a loyalist or a fantasist to take something from Trump’s rants — not belief itself, but the permission to believe. The outsider-intellectual The next category of believer consists of extremely smart people whose self-identification is bound up in constantly questioning and doubting official forms of knowledge. Conservatism has always had plenty of this sort in its ranks, but the consolidated progressive orthodoxy in elite institutions means that more and more people come to conservative ideas because they seem like a secret knowledge, an account of the world that’s compelling and yet excluded from official discourse. This, in turn, instills a perpetual suspicion about anything that seems to have too much of a liberal consensus defending it, especially any idea that gets mocked and laughed at more than it gets rebutted. And it creates a strong epistemological bias toward what you can only find out for yourself, as opposed to what Yale’s experts or Twitter’s warning labels or The New York Times might tell you. In many cases the outsider-intellectual’s approach generates real insight. (Anonymous right-wing Twitter was way out ahead of the coronavirus threat, for instance, at a time when official liberalism was still fretting more about xenophobia than the virus itself.) But it also tends to recapitulate the closed-circle problems of the official knowledge it rejects. Thus the outsider-intellectual type looks at the no-voter-fraud consensus and immediately goes out in search of cracks in the pillar of official truth, anomalies that official certainty elides. A lot of the supposed evidence of fraud that circulates online comes from these efforts — not from grifts or lies (though grifters and liars do pick them up) but from sincere analyses of election data, which inevitably turn up anomalies here and there, which confirm the searchers’ assumptions, which closes the circle and convinces them that the official narrative is false and voter fraud is real. The recently radicalized This final camp includes many of the people reading and circulating the outsider-intellectual analyses — people on the right whose perceptions of what liberal institutions and actors are capable of doing have been altered by the coronavirus era. Many liberals have spent the Trump years worried about a kind of Reichstag Fire moment, a crisis that Trump might use as an excuse to consolidate authoritarianism. But a lot of conservatives experienced May and June of the COVID era as a mirror image of those anti-Trump fears — as a crisis that seemed to be deliberately exploited for revolutionary purposes by politicians and activists of the left. Their story of the spring and early summer starts with our country’s leaders and experts calling for unprecedented sacrifice, with lockdowns and closures that disproportionately affected small businesses, churches and families with children — all conservative-coded groups and institutions — while liberal professionals on Zoom were in better shape and the great powers of Silicon Valley expanded their influence and wealth. Then, based on a single activist-amplified case of police brutality, the same experts and politicians suddenly abandoned restrictions for the sake of left-wing protests … which the official media pretended were peaceful even when they cut a violent swathe through American cities … which included a wave of iconoclasm against key symbols of American history … even as a new ideological vocabulary seemed to suddenly take over elite institutions … and dissenting figures were purged … and in the background the world’s elites loudly announced that they were seeking a “Great Reset,” a post-coronavirus new world order. For the radicalized, all this felt stage-managed, prearranged — both as a further escalation in the establishment’s battle against Trump, a successor to the Robert Mueller investigation and the impeachment push, and as an attempt to use the weirdness of the COVID situation to consolidate radical power within elite institutions. Experiencing and interpreting the summer of 2020 this way primed people to expect further escalation in the fall: After all, if liberals exploited a pandemic to stage-manage an ideological revolution, why wouldn’t they exploit all the weird features of pandemic voting to stage-manage the election outcome? No doubt some of my liberal readers will find this question too ridiculous to even merit an answer. You can’t argue someone out of a conspiracy theory, a common axiom goes, which means the only appropriate response to these ideas is condemnation and a kind of quarantine — to be achieved, presumably, through better Facebook algorithms, the comprehensive political defeat of the Republican Party and some sort of “have you no sense of decency, sir” courage from news anchors and political leaders whenever right-wing paranoia reemerges. I don’t see any way that these efforts will work. (Certainly on the evidence of 2020, the Republican Party isn’t going anywhere, let alone about to be “burned to the ground” as some anti-Trumpers hoped.) Of course the alternative — actually trying to argue with people in the camps I’ve just described — may not work either, especially given the curated virtual realities that the internet increasingly enables us all to inhabit. But I’ve been argued in and out of a few outré theories in my life. (Only the best outré theories, I assure you.) And if you accept that there’s more reasoning involved in conspiracy theorizing than official wisdom suggests, then once such theories achieve a certain prominence, there’s an obligation to actually make the case against them rather than just laugh them away. My own attempts at argument have run as follows: To the conspiracy-curious Republican whose curiosity is validated by Trump’s allegations of fraud, I’ve suggested that the place to look for fire amid the smoke is in claims that the president’s lawyers are actually willing to advance in court, as opposed to in news conferences, semiofficial hearings and on Twitter. Those lawyers — especially now that it’s mostly just the Rudy Giuliani show — have every incentive to blow a fraud case wide open. If their legal claims don’t actually allege fraud or they fall apart under scrutiny, then so should your assumption that the president’s blustering must have some real-world correlative. To the outsider-intellectuals fascinated by anomalies in ballot counts or ballot return patterns, I’ve argued that anomalies indicating fraud would have to show up in the final vote totals — meaning some pattern of results in key swing state cities that differ starkly from the results in cities in less-contested states, or some turnout pattern in a swing state’s suburbs that looks weird relative to the suburbs in a deep-blue or deep-red state. But where claims for those kinds of anomalies have been offered, they’ve turned out to be false. So until a compelling example can be cited, anomalies in the counting process should be presumed to be error or randomness, not fraud. Finally to the radicalized, I’ve tried to convey, based on my own knowledge of how liberal institutions work, that what looked stage-managed to outsiders in the May and June disturbances actually reflected organic upheaval and division, sincere anti-racism and disorganized Trump-phobia, a crisis in the mind of liberalism, a dose of religious revival, plus a chaotic revolt by city-dwellers against a lockdown experience that fell heavily on them. Hypocrisy and radicalism alike there was in plenty, but literally nobody was in charge, except sometimes for activists in the younger generation who sensed a professional opportunity, and any supposed “plan” or “reset” was just a hapless attempt by elder statesmen to get woke. Put more succinctly: The liberal establishment that I watched stagger through May and June could not plan a sweeping voter-fraud conspiracy to save its life. Have I persuaded anyone with these arguments? Maybe not, and as a columnist for a noted establishment organ, I’m probably not the best person to make them anyway. That distinction belongs to people more enmeshed in the conservative universe, scribes for National Review and talk radio hosts and conservative media critics, all of whom are the more important arguers for an intra-Republican debate. I am certain that these issues are connected to a larger and more important question for the future of the right. At the moment, the voter-fraud narrative is being deployed, often by people more cynical than the groups I’ve just described, to help an outgoing president — one who twice lost the popular vote and displayed gross incompetence in the face of his administration’s greatest challenge — stake a permanent claim to the leadership of his party and establish himself as the presumptive Republican nominee in 2024. And it’s being used to push aside the more compelling narrative that the Republican Party could take away from 2020, which is that Trump’s presidency demonstrated that populism can provide a foundation for conservatism, but to build on it the right needs a very different leader than the man Joe Biden just defeated. That’s the most important argument for the next four years — and one I’ll be making firmly, passionately, right up until the Republican Party nominates Trump again in 2024.

Why do so many Americans think the election was stolen?

New residents: White House starts preparing for Joe Biden's inauguration

Allies of President Donald Trump sought an emergency order Thursday from the US Supreme Court blocking the certification of election results in Pennsylvania, a key state won by President-elect Joe Biden.

The move follows the Pennsylvania state supreme court's rejection Saturday of a suit challenging expanded mail-in voting in the key northeastern state.

In the motion filed Thursday the top US court is not asked to rule on the merits of the case at this point.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/strong-support-from-president-trump-saudi-arabia-says-final-agreement-with-qatar-within-reach-347759">'Strong support from President Trump': Saudi Arabia says final agreement with Qatar 'within reach'</a>

Rather, the plaintiffs ask the court for an injunction to halt any remaining steps in the election certification, which was actually done last week, so the plaintiffs can develop their arguments. They include Mike Kelly, a Republican member of the House of Representatives.

The court is expected to respond quickly in writing and is not obliged to explain whatever ruling it makes.

Trump is still refusing to concede defeat in the November 3 election, alleging without providing evidence that there was widespread fraud in both voting and vote counting and that the election was stolen from him.

The Trump campaign and Trump allies have filed a flurry of lawsuits in battleground states that he lost, seeking to overturn the results. In some 20-odd cases, however, the courts have rejected these suits.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/with-us-senate-majority-in-the-pot-parties-bring-out-big-guns-for-georgia-elections-347720">With US Senate majority in the pot, parties bring out big guns for Georgia elections</a>

On Tuesday Attorney General Bill Barr, a close ally of the president, broke with Trump and said there was no evidence of significant fraud to invalidate Biden's win.

Trump appointed three conservatives to the nine-member court during his presidency and said right after the November election he was prepared to go all the way to that tribunal to defend what he called his re-election victory.

In the 2000 presidential election, the high court halted a recount in Florida while George W. Bush held a 537-vote lead over Al Gore, handing Bush the presidency.

This time is different: There is not just one but several states that Trump is disputing and the margins of victory for Biden there are much larger than Bush's was.

The Supreme Court is considered unlikely to risk its reputation by getting involved in the Pennsylvania suit, which would not change the overall outcome of the election anyway.

Allies of President Donald Trump sought an emergency order Thursday from the US Supreme Court blocking the certification of election results in Pennsylvania, a key state won by President-elect Joe Biden.

Allies of President Donald Trump sought an emergency order Thursday from the US Supreme Court blocking the certification of election results in Pennsylvania, a key state won by President-elect Joe Biden. The move follows the Pennsylvania state supreme court's rejection Saturday of a suit challenging expanded mail-in voting in the key northeastern state. In the motion filed Thursday the top US court is not asked to rule on the merits of the case at this point. Also read| 'Strong support from President Trump': Saudi Arabia says final agreement with Qatar 'within reach' Rather, the plaintiffs ask the court for an injunction to halt any remaining steps in the election certification, which was actually done last week, so the plaintiffs can develop their arguments. They include Mike Kelly, a Republican member of the House of Representatives. The court is expected to respond quickly in writing and is not obliged to explain whatever ruling it makes. Trump is still refusing to concede defeat in the November 3 election, alleging without providing evidence that there was widespread fraud in both voting and vote counting and that the election was stolen from him. The Trump campaign and Trump allies have filed a flurry of lawsuits in battleground states that he lost, seeking to overturn the results. In some 20-odd cases, however, the courts have rejected these suits. Also read| With US Senate majority in the pot, parties bring out big guns for Georgia elections On Tuesday Attorney General Bill Barr, a close ally of the president, broke with Trump and said there was no evidence of significant fraud to invalidate Biden's win. Trump appointed three conservatives to the nine-member court during his presidency and said right after the November election he was prepared to go all the way to that tribunal to defend what he called his re-election victory. In the 2000 presidential election, the high court halted a recount in Florida while George W. Bush held a 537-vote lead over Al Gore, handing Bush the presidency. This time is different: There is not just one but several states that Trump is disputing and the margins of victory for Biden there are much larger than Bush's was. The Supreme Court is considered unlikely to risk its reputation by getting involved in the Pennsylvania suit, which would not change the overall outcome of the election anyway.

Donald Trump allies take Pennsylvania vote complaint to US Supreme Court

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/biden-officially-clinches-electoral-college-win-as-california-certifies-347604">Biden officially clinches electoral college win as California certifies</a>

Joe Biden now officially has more than the 270 Electoral College votes -- which he needs to claim the US presidency -- after California certified its election results | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/biden-officially-clinches-electoral-college-win-as-california-certifies-347604">READ MORE</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-plans-to-not-extend-tiktok-divestiture-deadline-347609">US plans to not extend TikTok divestiture deadline</a>

The Trump administration has opted to not grant ByteDance a new extension of an order requiring the Chinese company to divest TikTok's US assets | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-plans-to-not-extend-tiktok-divestiture-deadline-347609">READ MORE</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-judge-orders-trump-administration-to-restore-daca-347616">US judge orders Trump administration to restore DACA</a>

The Trump administration must accept new applications for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme that protects young immigrants from deportation, a federal judge in the United States has ruled | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-judge-orders-trump-administration-to-restore-daca-347616">READ MORE</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-slaps-visa-restrictions-on-chinese-nationals-involved-in-crushing-dissent-347617">US slaps visa restrictions on Chinese nationals involved in crushing dissent</a>

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday said that the country will impose visa restrictions on Chinese nationals who are engaged in overseas influence operations or have tried to silent dissent via threatening or any other coercive tactics | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-slaps-visa-restrictions-on-chinese-nationals-involved-in-crushing-dissent-347617">READ MORE</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/trudeau-reiterates-comments-on-farmer-protests-amid-diplomatic-row-with-india-347592">Trudeau reiterates comments on farmer protests amid diplomatic row with India</a>

Canadian PM Justin Trudeau on Friday once again reiterated his stance on farmer protests in India amid worsening ties with New Delhi | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/trudeau-reiterates-comments-on-farmer-protests-amid-diplomatic-row-with-india-347592">READ MORE</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-house-passes-landmark-bill-to-decriminalise-marijuana-347607">US House passes landmark bill to decriminalise marijuana</a>

The US House of Representatives on Friday voted to decriminalize marijuana at the federal level, days after the United Nations removed it from the list of world's most dangerous drugs | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-house-passes-landmark-bill-to-decriminalise-marijuana-347607">READ MORE</a>

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Bahrain said on Friday it has granted emergency use authorisation for the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, becoming the second country after Britain to approve it | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/after-uk-bahrain-approves-pfizerbiontech-coronavirus-vaccine-347576">READ MORE</a>

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<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/lifestyle/news-matthew-perry-to-release-friends-inspired-apparel-line-for-charity-347613">Matthew Perry to release 'Friends'-inspired apparel line for charity</a>

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&nbsp;

Biden officially clinches electoral college win as California certifies Joe Biden now officially has more than the 270 Electoral College votes -- which he needs

Biden officially clinches electoral college win as California certifies Joe Biden now officially has more than the 270 Electoral College votes -- which he needs to claim the US presidency -- after California certified its election results | READ MORE US plans to not extend TikTok divestiture deadline The Trump administration has opted to not grant ByteDance a new extension of an order requiring the Chinese company to divest TikTok's US assets | READ MORE US judge orders Trump administration to restore DACA The Trump administration must accept new applications for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme that protects young immigrants from deportation, a federal judge in the United States has ruled | READ MORE US slaps visa restrictions on Chinese nationals involved in crushing dissent US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday said that the country will impose visa restrictions on Chinese nationals who are engaged in overseas influence operations or have tried to silent dissent via threatening or any other coercive tactics | READ MORE Trudeau reiterates comments on farmer protests amid diplomatic row with India Canadian PM Justin Trudeau on Friday once again reiterated his stance on farmer protests in India amid worsening ties with New Delhi | READ MORE US House passes landmark bill to decriminalise marijuana The US House of Representatives on Friday voted to decriminalize marijuana at the federal level, days after the United Nations removed it from the list of world's most dangerous drugs | READ MORE After UK, Bahrain approves Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine Bahrain said on Friday it has granted emergency use authorisation for the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, becoming the second country after Britain to approve it | READ MORE US sets new record of 225,000 Covid cases in one day The United States has registered a record number of coronavirus cases in 24 hours -- for the second day in a row, reaching 225,201 new infections | READ MORE Matthew Perry to release 'Friends'-inspired apparel line for charity Matthew Perry is all set to help the Corona-warriors as Chandler Bing | READ MORE

Morning news brief: With Biden inching towards inauguration, a lot is happening in US

Joe Biden now officially has more than the 270 Electoral College votes -- which he needs to claim the US presidency -- after California certified its election results.

California certified its presidential election Friday evening and appointed 55 electors pledged to vote for Democrat Joe Biden.

Secretary of State Alex Padilla's formal approval of Biden's win in the state brought his tally of pledged electors so far to 279.

The electors will meet in their states on December 14 to cast their votes, which Congress will tally in a joint session on January 6.

Though it's been apparent for weeks that Biden won the presidential election, his accrual of more than 270 electors is the first step toward the White House.

Outgoing president Donald Trump continues to make unsubstantiated allegations of massive voter fraud. But his chances keep on narrowing as courts in several several states have rejected legal challenges brought by his campaign and supporters.

Courts in Nevada and Minnesota handed him two more losses on Friday, dismissing lawsuits seeking to decertify Biden’s victories in those states.

Notably lawmakers can still object to accepting the electors' votes, it would be almost impossible for Biden to be blocked at that point.

According to AP, Trump and his allies have also raised the far-fetched notion that Republican state legislatures in those states could appoint a rival set of electors pledged to Trump. But state Republican leaders have rejected that approach, and it would likely be futile in any case.&nbsp;

According to federal law, both chambers of Congress would need to vote to accept a competing slate of electors. If they don't, the electors appointed by the states' governors -- all pledged to Biden in these cases -- must be used.

This tactic has been tried -- a handful of congressional Democrats in 2000, 2004 and 2016 objected to officially making both George W. Bush and Trump president. But the numbers were not enough to block the two men from taking office.

(with inputs)

Joe Biden now officially has more than the 270 Electoral College votes -- which he needs to claim the US presidency -- after California certified its election results.

Joe Biden now officially has more than the 270 Electoral College votes -- which he needs to claim the US presidency -- after California certified its election results. California certified its presidential election Friday evening and appointed 55 electors pledged to vote for Democrat Joe Biden. Secretary of State Alex Padilla's formal approval of Biden's win in the state brought his tally of pledged electors so far to 279. The electors will meet in their states on December 14 to cast their votes, which Congress will tally in a joint session on January 6. Though it's been apparent for weeks that Biden won the presidential election, his accrual of more than 270 electors is the first step toward the White House. Outgoing president Donald Trump continues to make unsubstantiated allegations of massive voter fraud. But his chances keep on narrowing as courts in several several states have rejected legal challenges brought by his campaign and supporters. Courts in Nevada and Minnesota handed him two more losses on Friday, dismissing lawsuits seeking to decertify Biden’s victories in those states. Notably lawmakers can still object to accepting the electors' votes, it would be almost impossible for Biden to be blocked at that point. According to AP, Trump and his allies have also raised the far-fetched notion that Republican state legislatures in those states could appoint a rival set of electors pledged to Trump. But state Republican leaders have rejected that approach, and it would likely be futile in any case. According to federal law, both chambers of Congress would need to vote to accept a competing slate of electors. If they don't, the electors appointed by the states' governors -- all pledged to Biden in these cases -- must be used. This tactic has been tried -- a handful of congressional Democrats in 2000, 2004 and 2016 objected to officially making both George W. Bush and Trump president. But the numbers were not enough to block the two men from taking office. (with inputs)

Biden officially clinches electoral college win as California certifies

The outgoing US President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;has made several enemies over the years, and sadly his own niece, Mary Trump, is one out of the people who think the former reality star deserves a place in the US prison.

Mary Trump has been an outspoken critic of her uncle and has repeatedly accused him of being egoistic, corrupt, racist and much more. Donald Trump, as expected, has always denied her allegations and has also resorted to <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-says-mary-trumps-book-is-a-lie-calls-it-stupid-and-vicious-314609">name calling</a>.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-will-never-want-to-lose-again-like-badly-mary-trump-343149">Donald Trump will never want to lose again like badly: Mary Trump</a>

This time, as the outgoing President is busy fighting tooth and nail to save his defeat by alleging voter fraud by President-elect <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;in the recently-conducted <a href="https://www.wionews.com/us-election">US elections</a>, Mary has openly criticised Trump for his pending legal cases and has claimed that her uncle deserves a place in the US prison.

Dismissing the theory of many, Mary said in an interview that Donald Trump needs to be tried and prosecuted by the US justice department, instead of telling the general public that putting the outgoing President on trial will bring a greater division in country's political environment. "It’s quite frankly insulting to be told time after time that the American people can handle it and that we just need to move on," she said.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trumps-sister-calls-him-cruel-in-audio-recorded-by-niece-says-report-322487">Trump's sister calls him 'cruel' in audio recorded by niece, says report</a>

"If anybody deserves to be prosecuted and tried, it’s Donald,” she added. “(Otherwise) we just leave ourselves open to somebody who, believe it or not, is even worse than he is."

The comments were not answered by Donald Trump or his team on depth. His team has alleged Mary of spreading such statements simply to "sell her book". Mary Trump is the author of a tell-all book on the trump family, titled "Too Much and Never Enough, How My Family Created The World’s Most Dangerous Man." Her book became a threat for the Trump family who walked an extra mile to make unsuccessful attempts to block the publishing and release of this book. However, the book was released in July 2020 — few months before Trump faced Biden in a race to the White House.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/as-donald-trump-bats-for-goya-nieces-tell-all-book-registers-record-sales-314123">As Donald Trump bats for Goya, niece's 'tell-all' book registers record sales</a>

"It's not simply that Donald is horrible and incompetent and cruel, it’s that he's been allowed to be," she said. "Every transgression that's gone on unpunished has been an opportunity for him to push the envelope even further. That's partially why we're going to see him smashing as much stuff on his way out the door as he can."

Her statements have come at a time when Donald Trump is facing one pending criminal investigation, corruption charges and tax invasion for his dealings related to the trump Organization, and many more such cases filed by different individuals and organisations.&nbsp;

"I think it would be a tragedy if Donald and everybody who’s enabled him and committed crimes with him is not held accountable," Mary Trump said. "It would make it impossible for this country to recover in the long term."

This is not the first time Mary has lashed out at Trump's personal behaviour and its effect on the country, After his defeat, she had claimed that while there are rumours of Trump returning back four years later, he would not do this to himself because he cannot take 'such a defeat'. "I think that was floated initially as a way to appease him and his ego, but he will never put himself in a position where he can lose like this again," see had said.

The outgoing US President Donald Trump has made several enemies over the years, and sadly his own niece, Mary Trump, is one out of the people who think the former reality star deserves a place in the US prison.

The outgoing US President Donald Trump has made several enemies over the years, and sadly his own niece, Mary Trump, is one out of the people who think the former reality star deserves a place in the US prison. Mary Trump has been an outspoken critic of her uncle and has repeatedly accused him of being egoistic, corrupt, racist and much more. Donald Trump, as expected, has always denied her allegations and has also resorted to name calling. Also read| Donald Trump will never want to lose again like badly: Mary Trump This time, as the outgoing President is busy fighting tooth and nail to save his defeat by alleging voter fraud by President-elect Joe Biden in the recently-conducted US elections, Mary has openly criticised Trump for his pending legal cases and has claimed that her uncle deserves a place in the US prison. Dismissing the theory of many, Mary said in an interview that Donald Trump needs to be tried and prosecuted by the US justice department, instead of telling the general public that putting the outgoing President on trial will bring a greater division in country's political environment. "It’s quite frankly insulting to be told time after time that the American people can handle it and that we just need to move on," she said. Also read| Trump's sister calls him 'cruel' in audio recorded by niece, says report "If anybody deserves to be prosecuted and tried, it’s Donald,” she added. “(Otherwise) we just leave ourselves open to somebody who, believe it or not, is even worse than he is." The comments were not answered by Donald Trump or his team on depth. His team has alleged Mary of spreading such statements simply to "sell her book". Mary Trump is the author of a tell-all book on the trump family, titled "Too Much and Never Enough, How My Family Created The World’s Most Dangerous Man." Her book became a threat for the Trump family who walked an extra mile to make unsuccessful attempts to block the publishing and release of this book. However, the book was released in July 2020 — few months before Trump faced Biden in a race to the White House. Also read| As Donald Trump bats for Goya, niece's 'tell-all' book registers record sales "It's not simply that Donald is horrible and incompetent and cruel, it’s that he's been allowed to be," she said. "Every transgression that's gone on unpunished has been an opportunity for him to push the envelope even further. That's partially why we're going to see him smashing as much stuff on his way out the door as he can." Her statements have come at a time when Donald Trump is facing one pending criminal investigation, corruption charges and tax invasion for his dealings related to the trump Organization, and many more such cases filed by different individuals and organisations. "I think it would be a tragedy if Donald and everybody who’s enabled him and committed crimes with him is not held accountable," Mary Trump said. "It would make it impossible for this country to recover in the long term." This is not the first time Mary has lashed out at Trump's personal behaviour and its effect on the country, After his defeat, she had claimed that while there are rumours of Trump returning back four years later, he would not do this to himself because he cannot take 'such a defeat'. "I think that was floated initially as a way to appease him and his ego, but he will never put himself in a position where he can lose like this again," see had said.

'Criminal, cruel and traitorous' Donald Trump belongs in prison, says his niece Mary Trump

Allies of US President Donald Trump have sought an emergency order from the US Supreme Court blocking the certification of election results in Pennsylvania, a key state won by President-elect Joe Biden.

The move follows the Pennsylvania state supreme court's rejection of a suit challenging expanded mail-in voting in the key northeastern state.

In the motion filed Thursday the top US court is not asked to rule on the merits of the case at this point.

Rather, the plaintiffs ask the court for an injunction to halt any remaining steps in the election certification, which was actually done last week, so the plaintiffs can develop their arguments. They include Mike Kelly, a Republican member of the House of Representatives.

The court is expected to respond quickly in writing and is not obliged to explain whatever ruling it makes.

Trump is still refusing to concede defeat in the November 3 election, alleging without providing evidence that there was widespread fraud in both voting and vote counting, and that the election was stolen from him.

The Trump campaign and Trump allies have filed a flurry of lawsuits in battleground states that he lost, seeking to overturn the results. In some 20-odd cases, however, the courts have rejected these suits.

On Tuesday Attorney General Bill Barr, a close ally of the president, broke with Trump and said there was no evidence of significant fraud to invalidate Biden's win.

Trump appointed three conservatives to the nine-member court during his presidency and said right after the November election he was prepared to go all the way to that tribunal to defend what he called his re-election victory.

The Supreme Court is considered unlikely to risk its reputation by getting involved in the Pennsylvania suit, which would not change the overall outcome of the election anyway.

Allies of US President Donald Trump have sought an emergency order from the US Supreme Court blocking the certification of election results in Pennsylvania, a key state won by President-elect Joe Biden.

Allies of US President Donald Trump have sought an emergency order from the US Supreme Court blocking the certification of election results in Pennsylvania, a key state won by President-elect Joe Biden. The move follows the Pennsylvania state supreme court's rejection of a suit challenging expanded mail-in voting in the key northeastern state. In the motion filed Thursday the top US court is not asked to rule on the merits of the case at this point. Rather, the plaintiffs ask the court for an injunction to halt any remaining steps in the election certification, which was actually done last week, so the plaintiffs can develop their arguments. They include Mike Kelly, a Republican member of the House of Representatives. The court is expected to respond quickly in writing and is not obliged to explain whatever ruling it makes. Trump is still refusing to concede defeat in the November 3 election, alleging without providing evidence that there was widespread fraud in both voting and vote counting, and that the election was stolen from him. The Trump campaign and Trump allies have filed a flurry of lawsuits in battleground states that he lost, seeking to overturn the results. In some 20-odd cases, however, the courts have rejected these suits. On Tuesday Attorney General Bill Barr, a close ally of the president, broke with Trump and said there was no evidence of significant fraud to invalidate Biden's win. Trump appointed three conservatives to the nine-member court during his presidency and said right after the November election he was prepared to go all the way to that tribunal to defend what he called his re-election victory. The Supreme Court is considered unlikely to risk its reputation by getting involved in the Pennsylvania suit, which would not change the overall outcome of the election anyway.

Trump allies take Pennsylvania vote complaint to US Supreme Court

NEW YORK — President Donald Trump will face a raft of potential legal challenges when he leaves office — from, among others, the Manhattan district attorney, the New York attorney general and perhaps the U.S. Justice Department.

Now add to that Leonie Green of the Westminster Apartments in Brooklyn.

Green is among a group of tenants in rent-regulated apartments once owned by Trump’s father who have filed a lawsuit against the president and his siblings, accusing the Trumps of a decadelong fraud to win artificially high rent increases through an invoice-padding scheme.

The scheme, first revealed in a 2018 investigation by The New York Times, involved tacking at least 20% onto the cost of materials purchased for the apartments, with Trump, his siblings and a cousin splitting the extra proceeds. The maneuver generated millions of dollars for each sibling, with no work required. While the siblings were still liable for income taxes, the maneuver allowed them to evade far-higher gift and estate taxes on part of the fortune they received from their father.

But the tenants paid a price. New York laws governing rent-regulated apartments allow owners to increase rents based on the costs of major capital improvements. The Trumps based their applications for rent hikes on the artificially increased invoices, so a boiler that actually cost $50,000 would generate a rent increase as if it had cost $60,000.

The new lawsuit, filed in state Supreme Court in Brooklyn, seeks the extra rent paid, plus interest and triple damages, for current and former tenants in more than 30 apartment complexes that belonged to the president’s father, Fred C. Trump. The mostly austere red brick buildings — with names like Beach Haven, Shore Haven and Park Briar — are spread across Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island. The invoice-padding scheme ran from 1992 until the Trumps sold their father’s buildings in 2004, but the artificially increased rents remained in place.

The lawsuit could pose a significant financial threat to Trump and his family. If the plaintiffs’ lawyers win approval of class-action status, any potential judgment would encompass every person who paid rent in more than 14,000 rent-regulated apartments since 1992.

Green, 54, said she had moved into the Westminster Apartments, in the Ditmas Park neighborhood, 22 years ago. Paying the rent on her salary as an executive assistant has been a struggle, she said, and she has fought off several eviction actions after falling behind. She was shocked to learn that her difficulties might have been made worse by a rich family “stealing from me.”

“You try so hard, and to hear something like this, it breaks my heart, because I believe they are just taking advantage of poor people,” Green said.

The lawsuit was filed just before midnight Oct. 2, moments before the expiration of the two-year statute of limitations for any fraud discovered through The Times’ 2018 investigation. An amended complaint was filed Tuesday.

A spokeswoman for the Trump family described the lawsuit as “completely frivolous.”

“Not only are the allegations completely unsupported by any evidence, but they relate to events which go back nearly 30 years — yet were never once raised by anyone at any time only to be conveniently filed just one month before the 2020 presidential election,” the spokeswoman, Kimberly Benza, said in a statement.

Trump is already facing two New York investigations into his business activities and related tax issues — a criminal inquiry by the Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus Vance Jr., and a civil one by the state attorney general, Letitia James.

At least two significant lawsuits also remain active. Writer E. Jean Carroll claims that Trump defamed her in denying that he had raped her. And a class-action lawsuit asserts Trump’s promotion of a company that promised people they could get rich selling video conference phones led them to lose money peddling an obsolete product.

Trump could also face charges in matters not fully resolved during his presidency, including whether he obstructed justice in the Russia investigation or violated campaign finance laws in directing his lawyer, Michael Cohen, to make hush-money payments to two women who threatened to go public with their claims of past affairs with Trump.

Jerrold S. Parker, a founding partner of Parker Waichman, a national law firm based in Port Washington, New York, said his firm began considering a legal remedy for the tenants after the article in The Times. The firm sought tenants this year through television and internet advertisements. The amended complaint lists 20 plaintiffs.

“A massive fraud spanning 28 years, victimizing several hundred thousand tenants in Trump regulated apartments, needed to be addressed,” Parker said.

The tenants, he said, “must be made whole as a result of the money that was unlawfully and unknowingly taken from them by the Trump family for their own personal gain.”

In addition to the president, the defendants in the lawsuit are his sister Maryanne Trump Barry, a former federal judge, the estate of their brother Robert, who died this year, and the estate of John Walter, a favorite nephew and longtime employee of Fred Trump’s. Walter died in 2018.

The scheme began in 1992, after the Trumps realized that the family’s aging patriarch was sitting on mountains of cash that could face a 55% estate tax. Part of the solution came with the creation of a business they named All County Building Supply &amp;amp; Maintenance, which had no offices or employees and listed its address at Walter’s home on Long Island.

Little changed in how goods were purchased for the buildings. Fred Trump, who died in 1999, or one of his executives continued to negotiate prices, but for each purchase, Walter would generate an invoice showing that All County had bought the items, and a second invoice marked up 20-50% showing what All County had billed to Fred Trump’s properties. The siblings and Walter pocketed the difference.

Former prosecutors told The Times that filing padded invoices with state rent regulators could have led to criminal charges at the time, but that the statute of limitations had long since expired.

Trump’s federal income tax records for some of those years, which were revealed in an investigation published by The Times this September, show that he received $1.38 million from All County during the four years ending in 2003. Thanks to losses on his own endeavors, he paid federal income taxes in only one of those years, a total of $39,117 in 2003.

Barry filed a financial disclosure form for 1998 showing that she collected more than $1 million that year from All County. She retired last year as a federal appellate judge, ending an inquiry into complaints, spurred by The Times’ investigation, that she had violated judicial conduct rules by participating in fraudulent tax maneuvers, including the invoice-padding scheme.

The amended complaint filed this week notes that while Fred Trump’s empire was sold nearly two decades ago, the Trumps only dissolved All County shortly after the Times article was published in 2018.

One vendor from the All County years, Leon Eastmond, once told The Times that he was surprised when, after selling 60 boilers to Fred Trump, he opened his mail to find a $100,000 check from All County.

“I didn’t recognize the company,” Eastmond said. “I didn’t know who the hell they were.”

NEW YORK — President Donald Trump will face a raft of potential legal challenges when he leaves office — from, among others, the Manhattan district attorney, the New York attorney general and perhaps the U.

NEW YORK — President Donald Trump will face a raft of potential legal challenges when he leaves office — from, among others, the Manhattan district attorney, the New York attorney general and perhaps the U.S. Justice Department. Now add to that Leonie Green of the Westminster Apartments in Brooklyn. Green is among a group of tenants in rent-regulated apartments once owned by Trump’s father who have filed a lawsuit against the president and his siblings, accusing the Trumps of a decadelong fraud to win artificially high rent increases through an invoice-padding scheme. The scheme, first revealed in a 2018 investigation by The New York Times, involved tacking at least 20% onto the cost of materials purchased for the apartments, with Trump, his siblings and a cousin splitting the extra proceeds. The maneuver generated millions of dollars for each sibling, with no work required. While the siblings were still liable for income taxes, the maneuver allowed them to evade far-higher gift and estate taxes on part of the fortune they received from their father. But the tenants paid a price. New York laws governing rent-regulated apartments allow owners to increase rents based on the costs of major capital improvements. The Trumps based their applications for rent hikes on the artificially increased invoices, so a boiler that actually cost $50,000 would generate a rent increase as if it had cost $60,000. The new lawsuit, filed in state Supreme Court in Brooklyn, seeks the extra rent paid, plus interest and triple damages, for current and former tenants in more than 30 apartment complexes that belonged to the president’s father, Fred C. Trump. The mostly austere red brick buildings — with names like Beach Haven, Shore Haven and Park Briar — are spread across Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island. The invoice-padding scheme ran from 1992 until the Trumps sold their father’s buildings in 2004, but the artificially increased rents remained in place. The lawsuit could pose a significant financial threat to Trump and his family. If the plaintiffs’ lawyers win approval of class-action status, any potential judgment would encompass every person who paid rent in more than 14,000 rent-regulated apartments since 1992. Green, 54, said she had moved into the Westminster Apartments, in the Ditmas Park neighborhood, 22 years ago. Paying the rent on her salary as an executive assistant has been a struggle, she said, and she has fought off several eviction actions after falling behind. She was shocked to learn that her difficulties might have been made worse by a rich family “stealing from me.” “You try so hard, and to hear something like this, it breaks my heart, because I believe they are just taking advantage of poor people,” Green said. The lawsuit was filed just before midnight Oct. 2, moments before the expiration of the two-year statute of limitations for any fraud discovered through The Times’ 2018 investigation. An amended complaint was filed Tuesday. A spokeswoman for the Trump family described the lawsuit as “completely frivolous.” “Not only are the allegations completely unsupported by any evidence, but they relate to events which go back nearly 30 years — yet were never once raised by anyone at any time only to be conveniently filed just one month before the 2020 presidential election,” the spokeswoman, Kimberly Benza, said in a statement. Trump is already facing two New York investigations into his business activities and related tax issues — a criminal inquiry by the Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus Vance Jr., and a civil one by the state attorney general, Letitia James. At least two significant lawsuits also remain active. Writer E. Jean Carroll claims that Trump defamed her in denying that he had raped her. And a class-action lawsuit asserts Trump’s promotion of a company that promised people they could get rich selling video conference phones led them to lose money peddling an obsolete product. Trump could also face charges in matters not fully resolved during his presidency, including whether he obstructed justice in the Russia investigation or violated campaign finance laws in directing his lawyer, Michael Cohen, to make hush-money payments to two women who threatened to go public with their claims of past affairs with Trump. Jerrold S. Parker, a founding partner of Parker Waichman, a national law firm based in Port Washington, New York, said his firm began considering a legal remedy for the tenants after the article in The Times. The firm sought tenants this year through television and internet advertisements. The amended complaint lists 20 plaintiffs. “A massive fraud spanning 28 years, victimizing several hundred thousand tenants in Trump regulated apartments, needed to be addressed,” Parker said. The tenants, he said, “must be made whole as a result of the money that was unlawfully and unknowingly taken from them by the Trump family for their own personal gain.” In addition to the president, the defendants in the lawsuit are his sister Maryanne Trump Barry, a former federal judge, the estate of their brother Robert, who died this year, and the estate of John Walter, a favorite nephew and longtime employee of Fred Trump’s. Walter died in 2018. The scheme began in 1992, after the Trumps realized that the family’s aging patriarch was sitting on mountains of cash that could face a 55% estate tax. Part of the solution came with the creation of a business they named All County Building Supply &amp; Maintenance, which had no offices or employees and listed its address at Walter’s home on Long Island. Little changed in how goods were purchased for the buildings. Fred Trump, who died in 1999, or one of his executives continued to negotiate prices, but for each purchase, Walter would generate an invoice showing that All County had bought the items, and a second invoice marked up 20-50% showing what All County had billed to Fred Trump’s properties. The siblings and Walter pocketed the difference. Former prosecutors told The Times that filing padded invoices with state rent regulators could have led to criminal charges at the time, but that the statute of limitations had long since expired. Trump’s federal income tax records for some of those years, which were revealed in an investigation published by The Times this September, show that he received $1.38 million from All County during the four years ending in 2003. Thanks to losses on his own endeavors, he paid federal income taxes in only one of those years, a total of $39,117 in 2003. Barry filed a financial disclosure form for 1998 showing that she collected more than $1 million that year from All County. She retired last year as a federal appellate judge, ending an inquiry into complaints, spurred by The Times’ investigation, that she had violated judicial conduct rules by participating in fraudulent tax maneuvers, including the invoice-padding scheme. The amended complaint filed this week notes that while Fred Trump’s empire was sold nearly two decades ago, the Trumps only dissolved All County shortly after the Times article was published in 2018. One vendor from the All County years, Leon Eastmond, once told The Times that he was surprised when, after selling 60 boilers to Fred Trump, he opened his mail to find a $100,000 check from All County. “I didn’t recognize the company,” Eastmond said. “I didn’t know who the hell they were.”

Tenants sue Trump over scheme that drove up their rents

Florida once again offered an electoral conundrum this year. Even as the state’s voters filled in the bubble for Donald Trump, they did the same for one of the policies that his opponent, Joe Biden, consistently championed on the campaign trail. They voted by more than 20 percentage points to add an amendment to the Florida Constitution raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour.

A higher wage, in other words, actually got more votes than either presidential candidate.

If you only listened to Republicans or cable news it would seem impossible, but it’s true: Americans, including many conservatives, agree on a number of fundamental progressive economic policies, even if they vehemently disagree on which party should carry them out. This isn’t just obvious in the polling; when these policies are put to voters directly, as many were on Election Day, voters consistently approve them.

And voters passed these Democratic priorities not just in deep blue places, but purple and red ones as well. It’s a pattern that’s played out many times before: Every time voters have weighed whether to expand Medicaid, a policy many Republican politicians oppose, they’ve approved it, including in deep red states like Idaho, Missouri, Nebraska and Utah.

Mr. Biden has a number of policies he could decide to champion once he takes office and many crises to resolve. But he would be smart to put the issues voters approved this election season — and which states and cities, our laboratories of democracy, have been experimenting with for years, proving they can actually work — at the top of his list.

Florida is not the only place with a new $15 minimum wage. Voters in (admittedly very liberal) Portland, Me., approved the same in November.

Many voters also said yes to higher taxes. In Arizona, a site of the Red for Ed teachers strikes in 2018 that demanded better funding for public education, a ballot measure to raise taxes on the wealthy to hire more teachers and school personnel and raise their pay was a winner. Voters in a few other places — the Portland, Ore. area; St. Louis; and statewide in Colorado — also approved increasing taxes to fund early childhood education.

The measure in Portland is particularly notable not just because it will eventually raise $202 million a year, but also because of what it spends the money on. All 3- and 4-year-olds in the county Portland is in will get free, full-day preschool while pre-K teacher pay will be raised to rival that of kindergarten teachers, making it one of the most robust programs in the country.

Coloradans also voted for a slight increase in payroll taxes to help fund a public paid family-leave program. State residents now have the honor of being the first in the country to approve paid family leave directly, after their lawmakers couldn’t manage to pass it for six years.

Higher taxes didn’t win the day everywhere. Colorado voters also approved a reduction in the income tax. In California, even as voters passed some criminal justice reform measures, they said no to an initiative to change commercial property taxes to raise more funding for the public school system.

But overall, this year’s ballot votes aren’t an anomaly. These are all consistently popular policies. A higher minimum wage has enjoyed nearly a quarter-century of going undefeated at the ballot box. Even a near doubling of the federal minimum garners strong support: two-thirds of Americans, including a majority of moderate Republicans, back a $15 minimum wage. Paid family leave is apparently a no-brainer, as more than 80 percent of voters support it, including strong majorities of Republicans.

Even higher taxes, which are supposedly anathema to the American way, fare well in public polls. Americans have long felt that the rich don’t pay enough in taxes, while over the last decade a majority has come around to using higher taxes to redistribute wealth. Promise to put those taxes to use for a specific and popular good, like early education, and you appear to win over even more people.

And yet the federal minimum wage has stayed stuck at $7.25 an hour for over a decade, the longest stretch we’ve ever gone without a raise. The United States is the only developed country that doesn’t guarantee paid family leave. We also devote a much smaller share of our gross domestic product to early education than virtually all other developed countries, while ours is a relatively low tax country.

The public often doesn’t connect policy preferences with politicians. Which party consistently champions a higher minimum wage? Mr. Biden’s. Which works against it and even has some members who have called for the current minimum to be abolished altogether? The other guys.

Mr. Biden also promised paid family leave and higher taxes on the rich to fund benefits for everyone else, positions that have become core Democratic Party planks in recent years. And yet Florida shows that Americans can favor these policies but not necessarily the candidates who promise to act on them.

The disconnect is partly the result of a lack of bold, clear action. Some voters may deliberately favor divided government; others may balk at the idea that Republicans could really oppose something like paid leave. But many more want better pay and benefits, yet don’t believe that Democrats will really deliver them.

Mr. Biden faces myriad devastating problems when he takes office, first among them an uncontrolled pandemic. But he would be smart to prioritize the things voters have just approved for some of his earliest actions. A higher minimum wage, paid family leave and taxing the wealthy to support early education are bread-and-butter policies that address the very real economic problems Americans have long faced and that are even more acute now.

Mr. Biden can get a jump start without Congress by requiring higher wages and paid family leave at federal contractors, increasing living standards for hundreds of thousands of Americans. But the rest of it will require cooperation from Congress. Should Democrats prevail in Georgia and control the Senate, these should be among the first items on their list, and even if they don’t, they shouldn’t just be dropped in a spasm of premature pessimism.

The president-elect can’t just act, however. He has to tell the public that this is what the Democratic Party stands for. Mr. Biden’s former boss recently made a point he should heed. “In my first couple of years in office, I think I had an unwarranted faith that if we did the right thing and implemented good policies, then people would know,” Barack Obama told NPR’s Michel Martin. “We didn’t sell it hard enough.”

Mr. Biden needs to go bold, especially on Americans’ very real material needs, and he needs to brag about it when he does.

(Bryce Covert is a contributor at The Nation and a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times.)

Florida once again offered an electoral conundrum this year. Even as the state’s voters filled in the bubble for Donald Trump, they did the same for one of the policies that his opponent, Joe Biden, consistently championed on the campaign trail.

Florida once again offered an electoral conundrum this year. Even as the state’s voters filled in the bubble for Donald Trump, they did the same for one of the policies that his opponent, Joe Biden, consistently championed on the campaign trail. They voted by more than 20 percentage points to add an amendment to the Florida Constitution raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. A higher wage, in other words, actually got more votes than either presidential candidate. If you only listened to Republicans or cable news it would seem impossible, but it’s true: Americans, including many conservatives, agree on a number of fundamental progressive economic policies, even if they vehemently disagree on which party should carry them out. This isn’t just obvious in the polling; when these policies are put to voters directly, as many were on Election Day, voters consistently approve them. And voters passed these Democratic priorities not just in deep blue places, but purple and red ones as well. It’s a pattern that’s played out many times before: Every time voters have weighed whether to expand Medicaid, a policy many Republican politicians oppose, they’ve approved it, including in deep red states like Idaho, Missouri, Nebraska and Utah. Mr. Biden has a number of policies he could decide to champion once he takes office and many crises to resolve. But he would be smart to put the issues voters approved this election season — and which states and cities, our laboratories of democracy, have been experimenting with for years, proving they can actually work — at the top of his list. Florida is not the only place with a new $15 minimum wage. Voters in (admittedly very liberal) Portland, Me., approved the same in November. Many voters also said yes to higher taxes. In Arizona, a site of the Red for Ed teachers strikes in 2018 that demanded better funding for public education, a ballot measure to raise taxes on the wealthy to hire more teachers and school personnel and raise their pay was a winner. Voters in a few other places — the Portland, Ore. area; St. Louis; and statewide in Colorado — also approved increasing taxes to fund early childhood education. The measure in Portland is particularly notable not just because it will eventually raise $202 million a year, but also because of what it spends the money on. All 3- and 4-year-olds in the county Portland is in will get free, full-day preschool while pre-K teacher pay will be raised to rival that of kindergarten teachers, making it one of the most robust programs in the country. Coloradans also voted for a slight increase in payroll taxes to help fund a public paid family-leave program. State residents now have the honor of being the first in the country to approve paid family leave directly, after their lawmakers couldn’t manage to pass it for six years. Higher taxes didn’t win the day everywhere. Colorado voters also approved a reduction in the income tax. In California, even as voters passed some criminal justice reform measures, they said no to an initiative to change commercial property taxes to raise more funding for the public school system. But overall, this year’s ballot votes aren’t an anomaly. These are all consistently popular policies. A higher minimum wage has enjoyed nearly a quarter-century of going undefeated at the ballot box. Even a near doubling of the federal minimum garners strong support: two-thirds of Americans, including a majority of moderate Republicans, back a $15 minimum wage. Paid family leave is apparently a no-brainer, as more than 80 percent of voters support it, including strong majorities of Republicans. Even higher taxes, which are supposedly anathema to the American way, fare well in public polls. Americans have long felt that the rich don’t pay enough in taxes, while over the last decade a majority has come around to using higher taxes to redistribute wealth. Promise to put those taxes to use for a specific and popular good, like early education, and you appear to win over even more people. And yet the federal minimum wage has stayed stuck at $7.25 an hour for over a decade, the longest stretch we’ve ever gone without a raise. The United States is the only developed country that doesn’t guarantee paid family leave. We also devote a much smaller share of our gross domestic product to early education than virtually all other developed countries, while ours is a relatively low tax country. The public often doesn’t connect policy preferences with politicians. Which party consistently champions a higher minimum wage? Mr. Biden’s. Which works against it and even has some members who have called for the current minimum to be abolished altogether? The other guys. Mr. Biden also promised paid family leave and higher taxes on the rich to fund benefits for everyone else, positions that have become core Democratic Party planks in recent years. And yet Florida shows that Americans can favor these policies but not necessarily the candidates who promise to act on them. The disconnect is partly the result of a lack of bold, clear action. Some voters may deliberately favor divided government; others may balk at the idea that Republicans could really oppose something like paid leave. But many more want better pay and benefits, yet don’t believe that Democrats will really deliver them. Mr. Biden faces myriad devastating problems when he takes office, first among them an uncontrolled pandemic. But he would be smart to prioritize the things voters have just approved for some of his earliest actions. A higher minimum wage, paid family leave and taxing the wealthy to support early education are bread-and-butter policies that address the very real economic problems Americans have long faced and that are even more acute now. Mr. Biden can get a jump start without Congress by requiring higher wages and paid family leave at federal contractors, increasing living standards for hundreds of thousands of Americans. But the rest of it will require cooperation from Congress. Should Democrats prevail in Georgia and control the Senate, these should be among the first items on their list, and even if they don’t, they shouldn’t just be dropped in a spasm of premature pessimism. The president-elect can’t just act, however. He has to tell the public that this is what the Democratic Party stands for. Mr. Biden’s former boss recently made a point he should heed. “In my first couple of years in office, I think I had an unwarranted faith that if we did the right thing and implemented good policies, then people would know,” Barack Obama told NPR’s Michel Martin. “We didn’t sell it hard enough.” Mr. Biden needs to go bold, especially on Americans’ very real material needs, and he needs to brag about it when he does. (Bryce Covert is a contributor at The Nation and a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times.)

OPINION: Biden should go big, and then brag about it

The US&nbsp;President-elect&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;has asked Dr. Anthony Fauci, the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/the-white-house">White House</a> expert on the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus">coronavirus</a> pandemic, to continue in the 'exact same role' in the Biden administration.&nbsp;Dr. Fauci has played an important role in the COVID-19 taskforce under the presidency of the outgoing US President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>.

Amid a rising number of coronavirus cases, Biden approached Dr. Fauci to take on the role of&nbsp;chief medical adviser in the Biden administration and keep carrying out the key responsibilities in the COVID-19 response team for the country.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/coronavirus-in-us-highest-ever-210000-new-cases-recorded-347351">Coronavirus in US: Highest-ever 210,000 new cases recorded</a>

"I asked him to stay on the exact same role he's had for the past several presidents, and I asked him to be a chief medical adviser for me as well, and be part of the Covid team," Biden told a national media channel.

As of now, no decision has been taken as Fauci is yet to meet the new administration, much to the dismay of Trump. "I'm going to be meeting with them today, by Zoom," Fauci told a media house.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/former-us-presidents-biden-agree-to-get-vaccinated-on-camera-to-spread-awareness-347341">Former US presidents, Biden agree to get vaccinated on camera to spread awareness</a>

"So today will be the first day where there will be substantive discussions about the transition between me and the Biden team,"&nbsp;Fauci added. "I'm very pleased that today we're having the first discussion about a number of things, vaccinations and things like that."

Fauci is the Director of the&nbsp;National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and is known to be an expert, who has had a bitter-sweet relationship with Donald Trump — who has been accused of downplaying the novel coronavirus. Trump and Fauci have, in the recent past, several times sidelined Fauci's warnings of the grave effect of the novel coronavirus on the country.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-coronavirus-daily-deaths-surpasses-3000-347334">WATCH|</a>

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Fauci, repeatedly, asked people to wear masks when stepping out, and suggested people to maintain social distancing, if they have to step out for emergency work. However, Trump ignored all warnings passed on by the expert, which led to millions of people losing their lives.&nbsp;Trump was also criticised for holding rallies with less or no social distancing.

The announcement came as the country recorded it's highest single-day surge in the COVID-19 cases as it recorded nearly&nbsp;210,000 cases on Thursday and&nbsp;2,907 deaths

The US President-elect Joe Biden has asked Dr. Anthony Fauci, the White House expert on the coronavirus pandemic, to continue in the 'exact same role' in the Biden administration.

The US President-elect Joe Biden has asked Dr. Anthony Fauci, the White House expert on the coronavirus pandemic, to continue in the 'exact same role' in the Biden administration. Dr. Fauci has played an important role in the COVID-19 taskforce under the presidency of the outgoing US President Donald Trump. Amid a rising number of coronavirus cases, Biden approached Dr. Fauci to take on the role of chief medical adviser in the Biden administration and keep carrying out the key responsibilities in the COVID-19 response team for the country. Also read| Coronavirus in US: Highest-ever 210,000 new cases recorded "I asked him to stay on the exact same role he's had for the past several presidents, and I asked him to be a chief medical adviser for me as well, and be part of the Covid team," Biden told a national media channel. As of now, no decision has been taken as Fauci is yet to meet the new administration, much to the dismay of Trump. "I'm going to be meeting with them today, by Zoom," Fauci told a media house. Also read | Former US presidents, Biden agree to get vaccinated on camera to spread awareness "So today will be the first day where there will be substantive discussions about the transition between me and the Biden team," Fauci added. "I'm very pleased that today we're having the first discussion about a number of things, vaccinations and things like that." Fauci is the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and is known to be an expert, who has had a bitter-sweet relationship with Donald Trump — who has been accused of downplaying the novel coronavirus. Trump and Fauci have, in the recent past, several times sidelined Fauci's warnings of the grave effect of the novel coronavirus on the country. WATCH| × Fauci, repeatedly, asked people to wear masks when stepping out, and suggested people to maintain social distancing, if they have to step out for emergency work. However, Trump ignored all warnings passed on by the expert, which led to millions of people losing their lives. Trump was also criticised for holding rallies with less or no social distancing. The announcement came as the country recorded it's highest single-day surge in the COVID-19 cases as it recorded nearly 210,000 cases on Thursday and 2,907 deaths

Joe Biden asks Anthony Fauci to 'stay on the exact same role' in COVID-19 response team

Not long after Attorney General William Barr said Tuesday that the Justice Department had found no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the election last month, the pro-Trump media world began circulating a falsehood about him. In this telling, Barr had been part of a plot by a secret cabal of elites against President Donald Trump all along.

The most prominent right-wing personality who spread the baseless narrative was Fox Business host Lou Dobbs. In his nightly show monologue Tuesday, Dobbs said that Barr must be “either a liar or a fool or both” and suggested that he was “perhaps compromised.” Dobbs added that Barr “appeared to join in with the radical Dems and the deep state and the resistance.”

Dobbs’ unfounded accusation inspired dozens of Facebook posts and more than 14,000 likes and shares on the social network, as well as hundreds of posts on Twitter, over the past 24 hours, according to a New York Times analysis.

Many of the president’s most fervent supporters reacted virulently to Barr’s comments Tuesday because they dealt a blow to Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the election. The comments were also jarring to some conservatives because Barr had been a longtime Trump loyalist.

The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment. But one of Barr’s former colleagues denied the attorney general was part of a secret plot against Trump.

George Terwilliger, who was Barr’s deputy in the 1990s when Barr was attorney general in the George H.W. Bush administration, said Barr’s intent in his Tuesday statement was “just to be responsible.” When there are unfounded conspiracy theories about the Justice Department, Terwilliger said, “it is responsible to say no, that did not happen.”

David Rohde, a New Yorker writer and former Times reporter who wrote the book “In Deep: The FBI, the CIA, and the Truth About America’s Deep State,” added that Barr could not be involved with a cabal of elites because “in fact, there is no deep state plot.” He said the term “deep state,” which is shorthand for the conspiracy theory about Democratic elites secretly exercising political control over the public, has been co-opted and vulgarized by many in the pro-Trump universe.

Dobbs did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The far right’s suspicions of Barr have been building for several days, partly because of comments made by Trump. In a Fox News interview on Nov. 29, the president declared that the Justice Department was “missing in action” in investigating allegations of widespread election fraud.

“You would think if you’re in the FBI or Department of Justice, this is the biggest thing you could be looking at,” Trump said. “Where are they? I’ve not seen anything.”

“They just keep moving along and they go on to the next president,” he added.

That set the stage for mistrust in Barr.

Even before Barr made his comments Tuesday about not having found voter fraud, Emerald Robinson of Newsmax, the conservative cable network, tweeted that it was “obvious now that Bill Barr came out of retirement to protect the DOJ/FBI from accountability for its role in Spygate.” She was referring to the convoluted and unfounded conspiracy theory involving a Democratic plot to spy on Trump’s 2016 campaign.

After Barr publicly acknowledged the election results, Mark Levin, a conservative radio host, said on Twitter and Facebook that it was “misleading” and that “the DOJ has been very passive.”

The Gateway Pundit, the Right Scoop and The Washington Times, which are far right websites, also piled on. In various articles, the sites said: “Barr’s masquerade as someone opposed to the criminality of the Deep State” was “a venal lie,” and claimed, without evidence, that the “DOJ is reluctant to investigate election fraud.”

The articles reached up to 886,000 people on Facebook, according to the analysis by The Times.

Not long after Attorney General William Barr said Tuesday that the Justice Department had found no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the election last month, the pro-Trump media world began circulating a falsehood about him.

Not long after Attorney General William Barr said Tuesday that the Justice Department had found no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the election last month, the pro-Trump media world began circulating a falsehood about him. In this telling, Barr had been part of a plot by a secret cabal of elites against President Donald Trump all along. The most prominent right-wing personality who spread the baseless narrative was Fox Business host Lou Dobbs. In his nightly show monologue Tuesday, Dobbs said that Barr must be “either a liar or a fool or both” and suggested that he was “perhaps compromised.” Dobbs added that Barr “appeared to join in with the radical Dems and the deep state and the resistance.” Dobbs’ unfounded accusation inspired dozens of Facebook posts and more than 14,000 likes and shares on the social network, as well as hundreds of posts on Twitter, over the past 24 hours, according to a New York Times analysis. Many of the president’s most fervent supporters reacted virulently to Barr’s comments Tuesday because they dealt a blow to Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the election. The comments were also jarring to some conservatives because Barr had been a longtime Trump loyalist. The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment. But one of Barr’s former colleagues denied the attorney general was part of a secret plot against Trump. George Terwilliger, who was Barr’s deputy in the 1990s when Barr was attorney general in the George H.W. Bush administration, said Barr’s intent in his Tuesday statement was “just to be responsible.” When there are unfounded conspiracy theories about the Justice Department, Terwilliger said, “it is responsible to say no, that did not happen.” David Rohde, a New Yorker writer and former Times reporter who wrote the book “In Deep: The FBI, the CIA, and the Truth About America’s Deep State,” added that Barr could not be involved with a cabal of elites because “in fact, there is no deep state plot.” He said the term “deep state,” which is shorthand for the conspiracy theory about Democratic elites secretly exercising political control over the public, has been co-opted and vulgarized by many in the pro-Trump universe. Dobbs did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The far right’s suspicions of Barr have been building for several days, partly because of comments made by Trump. In a Fox News interview on Nov. 29, the president declared that the Justice Department was “missing in action” in investigating allegations of widespread election fraud. “You would think if you’re in the FBI or Department of Justice, this is the biggest thing you could be looking at,” Trump said. “Where are they? I’ve not seen anything.” “They just keep moving along and they go on to the next president,” he added. That set the stage for mistrust in Barr. Even before Barr made his comments Tuesday about not having found voter fraud, Emerald Robinson of Newsmax, the conservative cable network, tweeted that it was “obvious now that Bill Barr came out of retirement to protect the DOJ/FBI from accountability for its role in Spygate.” She was referring to the convoluted and unfounded conspiracy theory involving a Democratic plot to spy on Trump’s 2016 campaign. After Barr publicly acknowledged the election results, Mark Levin, a conservative radio host, said on Twitter and Facebook that it was “misleading” and that “the DOJ has been very passive.” The Gateway Pundit, the Right Scoop and The Washington Times, which are far right websites, also piled on. In various articles, the sites said: “Barr’s masquerade as someone opposed to the criminality of the Deep State” was “a venal lie,” and claimed, without evidence, that the “DOJ is reluctant to investigate election fraud.” The articles reached up to 886,000 people on Facebook, according to the analysis by The Times.

Barr is not part of a secret anti-Trump plot

Biden’s top priority, he said, is getting a generous stimulus package through Congress, even before he takes office.

'Not going to immediately remove tariffs imposed on China by Trump', says Joe Biden

Donald Trump has floated the idea of running for president again in 2024 at a holiday reception at the White House on Tuesday evening.

Donald Trump floats the idea of 2024 WH run, says 'I'll see you in four years'

There is more bad news for Donald Trump. The US Attorney General has said investigators found no evidence of voter fraud. Meanwhile, the Outgoing President is reportedly discussing pre-emptive pardons for his inner circle. Molly Gambhir has more.

Gravitas: Will Trump's kids need a Presidential Pardon?

A lawyer part of current US President Donald Trump's campaign&nbsp;is facing widespread flak for his extreme comments directed at former head of a federal cyber-security agency. Chris Krebs (pictured above), the former head of Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (Cisa) had dismissed claims of fraud in US Presidential Election 2020. Joe DiGenova, the lawyer associated with the Trump campaign, said that Krebs should be "taken out at dawn and shot".

Donald Trump is yet to concede in spite of Joe Biden having a clear lead in the electoral college. Trump has mounted a legal offensive to challenge the validity of US election results.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-probes-pardon-bribery-scheme-no-govt-official-under-investigation-346798">US probes pardon bribery scheme; no govt official under investigation</a> 
 
DiGenova, the Trump campaign lawyer made the extreme comments on The Howie Carr show, a podcast on Youtube. After Digenova made the remarks about Krebs, the host did not challenge his assertions.

Chris Krebs was fired as the head of Cisa not long after he said that US Elections were "most secure".

Although Trump has mounted number of lawsuits against election results, he or his team have not been able to produce substantial evidence and have suffered defeats in various courts.

A lawyer part of current US President Donald Trump's campaign is facing widespread flak for his extreme comments directed at former head of a federal cyber-security agency.

A lawyer part of current US President Donald Trump's campaign is facing widespread flak for his extreme comments directed at former head of a federal cyber-security agency. Chris Krebs (pictured above), the former head of Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (Cisa) had dismissed claims of fraud in US Presidential Election 2020. Joe DiGenova, the lawyer associated with the Trump campaign, said that Krebs should be "taken out at dawn and shot". Donald Trump is yet to concede in spite of Joe Biden having a clear lead in the electoral college. Trump has mounted a legal offensive to challenge the validity of US election results. Also Read | US probes pardon bribery scheme; no govt official under investigation DiGenova, the Trump campaign lawyer made the extreme comments on The Howie Carr show, a podcast on Youtube. After Digenova made the remarks about Krebs, the host did not challenge his assertions. Chris Krebs was fired as the head of Cisa not long after he said that US Elections were "most secure". Although Trump has mounted number of lawsuits against election results, he or his team have not been able to produce substantial evidence and have suffered defeats in various courts.

Ex-US Election cybersecurity chief should be taken out and shot, says Trump lawyer

US Attorney General William Barr said on Tuesday the Justice Department had found no evidence of widespread voter fraud in last month's election.

The statement comes as President Donald Trump keeps up his flailing legal efforts to reverse his defeat.

Democrat Joe Biden defeated Trump in the November 3 election by 306 to 232 in the state-by-state Electoral College that chooses the president - the same margin that Trump declared a "landslide" when he won four years ago - as well as by more than 6.2 million ballots in the popular vote.

"To date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have affected a different outcome in the election," Barr, a Trump appointee widely seen as loyal to the Republican president, told the Associated Press.

The Trump campaign's legal team responded to Barr's comments by saying the Justice Department did not do enough to investigate allegations of voter fraud.

Barr told federal prosecutors last month to pursue investigations into credible allegations of election fraud, but warned them to avoid probes into "fanciful or far-fetched claims."

Trump has, however, continued to claim loudly and largely without evidence that the election was marred by widespread fraud. Those claims that have been repeatedly rejected by state and federal officials.

Trump's campaign has had no success advancing election-fraud claims in court, but his continued complaints appear to have yielded political benefit as polls show a large percentage of Republicans now believe the election was not conducted fairly.

In Wisconsin, Trump's campaign asked the state's top court to consider throwing out 221,000 absentee ballots that allegedly lacked information. Biden won that battleground state by about 20,000 votes.

Biden, for his part, has focussed on setting up his administration before he takes office on January 20.

On Tuesday, he urged Congress to pass a coronavirus aid package that has been stalled for months, and promised more action to help the economy after he becomes president.

The United States is in the grip of a fresh wave of COVID-19 infections, with more than 4 million new cases and over 35,000 coronavirus-related deaths reported in November, according to a Reuters tally of official data.

US Attorney General William Barr said on Tuesday the Justice Department had found no evidence of widespread voter fraud in last month's election. The statement comes as President Donald Trump keeps up his flailing legal efforts to reverse his defeat.

US Attorney General William Barr said on Tuesday the Justice Department had found no evidence of widespread voter fraud in last month's election. The statement comes as President Donald Trump keeps up his flailing legal efforts to reverse his defeat. Democrat Joe Biden defeated Trump in the November 3 election by 306 to 232 in the state-by-state Electoral College that chooses the president - the same margin that Trump declared a "landslide" when he won four years ago - as well as by more than 6.2 million ballots in the popular vote. "To date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have affected a different outcome in the election," Barr, a Trump appointee widely seen as loyal to the Republican president, told the Associated Press. The Trump campaign's legal team responded to Barr's comments by saying the Justice Department did not do enough to investigate allegations of voter fraud. Barr told federal prosecutors last month to pursue investigations into credible allegations of election fraud, but warned them to avoid probes into "fanciful or far-fetched claims." Trump has, however, continued to claim loudly and largely without evidence that the election was marred by widespread fraud. Those claims that have been repeatedly rejected by state and federal officials. Trump's campaign has had no success advancing election-fraud claims in court, but his continued complaints appear to have yielded political benefit as polls show a large percentage of Republicans now believe the election was not conducted fairly. In Wisconsin, Trump's campaign asked the state's top court to consider throwing out 221,000 absentee ballots that allegedly lacked information. Biden won that battleground state by about 20,000 votes. Biden, for his part, has focussed on setting up his administration before he takes office on January 20. On Tuesday, he urged Congress to pass a coronavirus aid package that has been stalled for months, and promised more action to help the economy after he becomes president. The United States is in the grip of a fresh wave of COVID-19 infections, with more than 4 million new cases and over 35,000 coronavirus-related deaths reported in November, according to a Reuters tally of official data.

US Attorney General Barr says sees no sign of major vote fraud

Israel has released more than $1 billion in funds withheld from the Palestinian Authority, a Palestinian minister said Wednesday, weeks after coordination was renewed between the two sides.

Hussein al-Sheikh, a close aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, confirmed the receipt of nearly 3.8 billion shekels (around $1.1 billion) from Israel.

&nbsp;

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Israeli?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Israeli</a> government transfers all financial dues of the clearance to the account of the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Palestinian?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Palestinian</a> Authority, amounting to three billion and 768 million shekels. <a href="https://t.co/TK9vueVzRW">https://t.co/TK9vueVzRW</a>
— حسين الشيخ Hussein Al Sheikh (@HusseinSheikhpl) <a href="https://twitter.com/HusseinSheikhpl/status/1334056982043643904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2020</a></blockquote>
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In May, the Palestinians stopped coordination with Israel, with PA leader Mahmud Abbas saying it was in response to Israeli plans to annex parts of the West Bank.

Israel later put its annexation plans on hold, in return for an agreement to normalise ties with the United Arab Emirates, announced in August.

In halting the cooperation with Israel, the PA also stopped accepting transfer of taxes,&nbsp;particularly customs duties,&nbsp;collected by Israel on its behalf.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/seeking-restart-with-biden-palestinians-eye-end-to-prisoner-payments-344402">Seeking restart with Biden, Palestinians eye end to prisoner payments</a>

The Palestinians resumed contacts with Israel last month following President-elect Joe Biden's victory in the US&nbsp;Election. Biden is opposed to annexation and has promised a more evenhanded approach to the conflict.

The taxes are a key source of revenue for the Palestinian Authority, which administers parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. It was forced to cut the salaries it pays to tens of thousands of civil servants, worsening an economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Israel's Finance Ministry said the funds were transferred following the approval of the Israeli Security Cabinet last month.

Israel said it would deduct an amount equal to what the Palestinian Authority pays to the families of prisoners and those killed in the conflict, including militants implicated in attacks that killed Israelis.

Israel says the so-called Martyrs' Fund incentivizes violence, while the Palestinians say it provides aid to needy families.

President Donald Trump's Mideast plan, unveiled in January, would have allowed Israel to annex a third of the West Bank, including all its Jewish settlements. The Palestinians immediately rejected the plan, and Abbas announced in May that he was cutting all ties to the US&nbsp;And Israel, and would no longer abide by past agreements with them.

Israel shelved its annexation plans in August after the United Arab Emirates agreed to normalize relations, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the pause was only temporary.

Trump took unprecedented steps to support Israel and isolate the Palestinians, including moving the US&nbsp;Embassy to contested Jerusalem, cutting off aid to the Palestinians, and ending decades of US&nbsp;Opposition to Israeli settlements, which the Palestinians and much of the international community view as a violation of international law.

Biden has vowed to restore aid to the Palestinians and press both sides to resume the long-moribund peace process, without providing much detail about his approach.&nbsp;

Israel has released more than $1 billion in funds withheld from the Palestinian Authority, a Palestinian minister said Wednesday, weeks after coordination was renewed between the two sides.

Israel has released more than $1 billion in funds withheld from the Palestinian Authority, a Palestinian minister said Wednesday, weeks after coordination was renewed between the two sides. Hussein al-Sheikh, a close aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, confirmed the receipt of nearly 3.8 billion shekels (around $1.1 billion) from Israel. The #Israeli government transfers all financial dues of the clearance to the account of the #Palestinian Authority, amounting to three billion and 768 million shekels. https://t.co/TK9vueVzRW — حسين الشيخ Hussein Al Sheikh (@HusseinSheikhpl) December 2, 2020 × In May, the Palestinians stopped coordination with Israel, with PA leader Mahmud Abbas saying it was in response to Israeli plans to annex parts of the West Bank. Israel later put its annexation plans on hold, in return for an agreement to normalise ties with the United Arab Emirates, announced in August. In halting the cooperation with Israel, the PA also stopped accepting transfer of taxes, particularly customs duties, collected by Israel on its behalf. Also read: Seeking restart with Biden, Palestinians eye end to prisoner payments The Palestinians resumed contacts with Israel last month following President-elect Joe Biden's victory in the US Election. Biden is opposed to annexation and has promised a more evenhanded approach to the conflict. The taxes are a key source of revenue for the Palestinian Authority, which administers parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. It was forced to cut the salaries it pays to tens of thousands of civil servants, worsening an economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Israel's Finance Ministry said the funds were transferred following the approval of the Israeli Security Cabinet last month. Israel said it would deduct an amount equal to what the Palestinian Authority pays to the families of prisoners and those killed in the conflict, including militants implicated in attacks that killed Israelis. Israel says the so-called Martyrs' Fund incentivizes violence, while the Palestinians say it provides aid to needy families. President Donald Trump's Mideast plan, unveiled in January, would have allowed Israel to annex a third of the West Bank, including all its Jewish settlements. The Palestinians immediately rejected the plan, and Abbas announced in May that he was cutting all ties to the US And Israel, and would no longer abide by past agreements with them. Israel shelved its annexation plans in August after the United Arab Emirates agreed to normalize relations, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the pause was only temporary. Trump took unprecedented steps to support Israel and isolate the Palestinians, including moving the US Embassy to contested Jerusalem, cutting off aid to the Palestinians, and ending decades of US Opposition to Israeli settlements, which the Palestinians and much of the international community view as a violation of international law. Biden has vowed to restore aid to the Palestinians and press both sides to resume the long-moribund peace process, without providing much detail about his approach.

Israel transfers $1 billion in withheld funds to Palestinians

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Donald Trump will soon be gone from the White House. But in the millions of homes where Latino immigrants live, the questions that have dominated the past four years will not soon go away: Will I ever see my mother again? Will there be a time where I won’t live with the fear of disappearing on my way to work, never to be seen again by my neighbors? Will I be able to go to college? Will my parents ever escape the nightmare of immigration bureaucracy?

There are 11 million undocumented immigrants in this country, and millions who are the children, siblings and spouses of the undocumented; they live in the uneasy cultural and legal limbo of the “mixed status” family. And even if you’re a U.S. citizen who’s never met or worked alongside an undocumented immigrant, the fate of the democracy you cherish is tied to theirs.

This summer I traveled to central Pennsylvania to meet a family friend who is undocumented. She and my aunt and uncle were once neighbors in Guatemala City. Now she lives with her husband and children in a mixed-race neighborhood of wood-frame houses and aging front stoops that looks like the set of an August Wilson play.

Since arriving in Pennsylvania as undocumented immigrants 16 years ago, she and her husband have supported their family with jobs in construction and factories. One of their adult children now holds a white-collar office job. Their mixed-status family includes a college graduate who is a recipient of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, the program that grants temporary status to those who crossed the border as children. The couple recently purchased a home, and their first grandchild, a U.S. citizen, was born a few months ago.

The re-election of Donald Trump would have preserved a status quo in which all their American accomplishments could be wiped out at any moment. And yet, Joe Biden’s narrow victory and the Republicans’ unexpectedly strong showing in congressional races might leave much of that status quo intact.

When my family friend’s mother died recently, in Guatemala City, the friend attended the funeral services via a telephone video from Pennsylvania, since leaving the country puts her at risk of being permanently separated from her children. The family’s DACA recipient has permission to work in this country, but remains, in the eyes of the law, an undocumented immigrant. The Trump administration worked to dismantle DACA, and there is no guarantee the incoming Congress will move to rescue it. They all live with the fear that something as simple as a traffic stop could cause them to be deported.

The labor of undocumented workers sustains this country. During the pandemic, they perform essential tasks in hospitals, farm fields, grocery stores and other places. They feed this country, clean our homes and help raise our children. Their daily anxieties and their frustrations are a central element in the emotional landscape of this country.

Thirteen years have passed since the failed efforts to legislate comprehensive immigration reform during the administration of George W. Bush. Many members of the “dreamer” generation are now in their mid-30s. And there is an older generation of undocumented immigrants — people who arrived here as adults in the 1990s — now approaching retirement age. I recently met an elected official whose aging parents, longtime farmworkers in the Pacific Northwest, are undocumented.

We are slowly creating a caste of permanently undocumented Latino people in the United States. Politicians like Mitch McConnell helped kill immigration reform efforts when Barack Obama was president. He was also an ally of the Trump administration as it used immigrants as props in a theater of cruelty, from the Muslim ban to the attempt to kill DACA that reached the Supreme Court this spring.

During the Trump presidency, various federal agencies have taken more than 400 executive actions that restrict immigration and punish immigrants. Mr. Trump and his team took special delight in tormenting the undocumented because doing so made the otherwise feckless president look macho. That’s how we arrived at Jeff Sessions infamously declaring, “We need to take away children.” It’s likely that Mr. McConnell will remain the Senate majority leader after Mr. Biden takes office.

History has shown that accepting the existence of widespread, legal forms of inequality can undermine a society from within, undoing its sense of right and wrong. In the early 21st century, the growing caste of permanently undocumented people became a target of right-wing national and local media. Radio shock jocks and television commentators characterized these immigrants as inherently “criminal” people and stoked prejudice against them. This intolerance in turn helped fuel Mr. Trump’s political rise.

I’ve met undocumented business owners and Harvard graduates. For four years, they have endured an endless stream of attacks by Mr. Trump. When the American electorate ousted him from office, it gave them some breathing room and a moment to celebrate. But what will the future hold for them? The answer to this question could determine whether the great democracy founded by American rebels in the 18th century will survive the 21st.

(Héctor Tobar, an associate professor at the University of California, Irvine, is the author, most recently, of “The Last Great Road Bum” and a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times.)

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Donald Trump will soon be gone from the White House. But in the millions of homes where Latino immigrants live, the questions that have dominated the past four years will not soon go away: Will I ever see my mother again?

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Donald Trump will soon be gone from the White House. But in the millions of homes where Latino immigrants live, the questions that have dominated the past four years will not soon go away: Will I ever see my mother again? Will there be a time where I won’t live with the fear of disappearing on my way to work, never to be seen again by my neighbors? Will I be able to go to college? Will my parents ever escape the nightmare of immigration bureaucracy? There are 11 million undocumented immigrants in this country, and millions who are the children, siblings and spouses of the undocumented; they live in the uneasy cultural and legal limbo of the “mixed status” family. And even if you’re a U.S. citizen who’s never met or worked alongside an undocumented immigrant, the fate of the democracy you cherish is tied to theirs. This summer I traveled to central Pennsylvania to meet a family friend who is undocumented. She and my aunt and uncle were once neighbors in Guatemala City. Now she lives with her husband and children in a mixed-race neighborhood of wood-frame houses and aging front stoops that looks like the set of an August Wilson play. Since arriving in Pennsylvania as undocumented immigrants 16 years ago, she and her husband have supported their family with jobs in construction and factories. One of their adult children now holds a white-collar office job. Their mixed-status family includes a college graduate who is a recipient of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, the program that grants temporary status to those who crossed the border as children. The couple recently purchased a home, and their first grandchild, a U.S. citizen, was born a few months ago. The re-election of Donald Trump would have preserved a status quo in which all their American accomplishments could be wiped out at any moment. And yet, Joe Biden’s narrow victory and the Republicans’ unexpectedly strong showing in congressional races might leave much of that status quo intact. When my family friend’s mother died recently, in Guatemala City, the friend attended the funeral services via a telephone video from Pennsylvania, since leaving the country puts her at risk of being permanently separated from her children. The family’s DACA recipient has permission to work in this country, but remains, in the eyes of the law, an undocumented immigrant. The Trump administration worked to dismantle DACA, and there is no guarantee the incoming Congress will move to rescue it. They all live with the fear that something as simple as a traffic stop could cause them to be deported. The labor of undocumented workers sustains this country. During the pandemic, they perform essential tasks in hospitals, farm fields, grocery stores and other places. They feed this country, clean our homes and help raise our children. Their daily anxieties and their frustrations are a central element in the emotional landscape of this country. Thirteen years have passed since the failed efforts to legislate comprehensive immigration reform during the administration of George W. Bush. Many members of the “dreamer” generation are now in their mid-30s. And there is an older generation of undocumented immigrants — people who arrived here as adults in the 1990s — now approaching retirement age. I recently met an elected official whose aging parents, longtime farmworkers in the Pacific Northwest, are undocumented. We are slowly creating a caste of permanently undocumented Latino people in the United States. Politicians like Mitch McConnell helped kill immigration reform efforts when Barack Obama was president. He was also an ally of the Trump administration as it used immigrants as props in a theater of cruelty, from the Muslim ban to the attempt to kill DACA that reached the Supreme Court this spring. During the Trump presidency, various federal agencies have taken more than 400 executive actions that restrict immigration and punish immigrants. Mr. Trump and his team took special delight in tormenting the undocumented because doing so made the otherwise feckless president look macho. That’s how we arrived at Jeff Sessions infamously declaring, “We need to take away children.” It’s likely that Mr. McConnell will remain the Senate majority leader after Mr. Biden takes office. History has shown that accepting the existence of widespread, legal forms of inequality can undermine a society from within, undoing its sense of right and wrong. In the early 21st century, the growing caste of permanently undocumented people became a target of right-wing national and local media. Radio shock jocks and television commentators characterized these immigrants as inherently “criminal” people and stoked prejudice against them. This intolerance in turn helped fuel Mr. Trump’s political rise. I’ve met undocumented business owners and Harvard graduates. For four years, they have endured an endless stream of attacks by Mr. Trump. When the American electorate ousted him from office, it gave them some breathing room and a moment to celebrate. But what will the future hold for them? The answer to this question could determine whether the great democracy founded by American rebels in the 18th century will survive the 21st. (Héctor Tobar, an associate professor at the University of California, Irvine, is the author, most recently, of “The Last Great Road Bum” and a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times.)

OPINION | What the future holds for undocumented immigrants

Five years ago, Jeffrey D. Zients was the head of the Obama administration’s National Economic Council, working to push across the finish line a federal rule that would prevent financial advisers from taking advantage of retirees. He won praise from progressives for fending off fierce resistance from Wall Street and fighting for consumer protections.

These days, Zients is a co-chairman of President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team who is being watched warily by members of the Democratic Party’s left wing. Progressive advocacy groups such as the Revolving Door Project and Justice Democrats, concerned he would defend corporate America if given a top economic policy job in the Biden administration, pushed to keep him out of such a role. They view his recent work running an investment fund — Cranemere — and sitting on the board of Facebook as a detriment.

The preemptive resistance to Zients (pronounced ZYE-ents) from the left is the latest indication of how the Democratic Party has shifted in the dozen years since former President Barack Obama took office amid the financial crisis. Now, business and finance experience can turn otherwise qualified White House candidates into pariahs for progressives.

Zients, 54, has emerged as an important power center in the Biden transition team and was mentioned as a possible candidate to once again lead the National Economic Council or head the Office of Management and Budget, a role he held in an acting capacity during the Obama administration. With those jobs set to be filled by others, Zients is the front-runner, according to people familiar with the transition team’s plans, to be the Biden administration’s COVID czar, steering the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.

In a sign of the pushback to come, the Revolving Door Project, which has been urging Biden to keep corporate influence out of his administration, has compiled a 13-page document about Zients. The file highlights his wealth, his appetite for deficit reduction during the Obama years and his recent work as chief executive of Cranemere.

In the Obama administration, “his role was essentially to be a management consultant for the executive branch: cutting costs, finding efficiencies and looking at things like a businessman,” the Revolving Door document says.

The group points to the majority stake that Cranemere took in NorthStar Anesthesia, a company that provides anesthesia services to hospitals and medical offices, in 2018. It cites negative reviews that NorthStar Anesthesia received through the Better Business Bureau, including allegations of surprise billing and a threat to send a dental patient’s bill to a collection agency during a dispute over insurance coverage. That matter was resolved, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer&lt;em&gt;.&lt;/em&gt;

A spokeswoman for NorthStar said that within two months of Cranemere’s acquisition of the company, it had ended its practice of “balance billing” — charging patients the difference between the cost of their services and what their insurers will pay. Jennifer Psaki, a spokeswoman for the Biden transition team, said Zients opposes surprise billing practices.

“Jeff, like President-elect Biden, supports legislation to stop surprise billing by forcing the entire health care system to limit patient payments to in-network rates for all procedures and providers not preapproved by the patient,” Psaki said.

Progressives have been pushing the Biden transition team to install their preferred candidates in top roles and have been fairly supportive of some of Biden’s early picks. These include Janet Yellen, the former Federal Reserve chair, to be Treasury secretary; Cecilia Rouse, a Princeton University labor economist, to run the Council of Economic Advisers; and Neera Tanden, chief executive of the Center for American Progress, to lead the Office of Management and Budget.

But others are triggering a backlash, including Brian Deese, whom Biden has tapped to head the National Economic Council, and Adewale Adeyemo, the president-elect’s choice for deputy Treasury secretary. Both men have worked at asset management firm BlackRock, and many in the progressive wing view deep industry ties as a red flag.

“Democrats should overall be alarmed by any Democratic administration considering filling the White House with Wall Street insiders and corporate lobbyists,” said Waleed Shahid, spokesman for Justice Democrats, a political action committee.

Early in his career, Zients worked as a consultant at Bain &amp;amp; Co. before joining Advisory Board Co., a health care research and consulting firm, where he rose to chief executive. He helped lead a spinoff of that business, which became the Corporate Executive Board, and both companies ultimately went public, in 1999 and 2001. According to Fortune, the Advisory Board’s profitable initial public offering helped fuel Zients’ net worth, which the magazine placed at nearly $150 million by 2002.

In 2009, Zients joined the Office of Management and Budget as “chief performance officer,” rising to prominence within the Obama administration as a “Mr. Fix-It” with strong operations skills and a knack for solving tough problems. Obama administration officials remember him for reviving the Affordable Care Act’s website, HealthCare.gov, after glitches plagued its rollout.

“I call him the ultimate firefighter on these jobs,” said Denis R. McDonough, Obama’s chief of staff, who asked Zients to take on the project of fixing the website in 2013. “He runs into the burning buildings. He doesn’t ask why. He doesn’t ask when. He doesn’t ask who’s going with him.”

Later in Obama’s second term, Zients led the National Economic Council, where he shepherded new regulations to crack down on payday lending and steered the development of the so-called fiduciary rule — a requirement that financial professionals put the interests of their customers with retirement accounts ahead of their own. The Labor Department rule, which the financial services and insurance industries strongly challenged, was struck down by a federal appeals court in 2018.

Those efforts earned him accolades from some progressive Democrats.

“The government needs talent and experience,” said Dennis Kelleher, president of Better Markets, which promotes Wall Street reform, and a member of Biden’s transition review team for the Fed, banking and securities regulators. “People who are going to try to regulate an industry as complicated as finance can’t say we’re only going to hire people who know nothing about finance.”

But his role as a bridge to business during the Obama administration has raised some eyebrows. Zients was one of the administration’s chief liaisons to executives and lobbyists when anger at Wall Street over the 2007-08 financial crisis was at its peak. Top lobbyists such as the Business Roundtable and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have praised Zients as someone who heard them out.

Describing his desire to listen to business leaders, Zients told executives at a 2014 event at the Economic Club of Washington, “You are the customers, all of you as business leaders, in terms of growing the economy.”

After Obama left office, Zients joined private equity investor Vincent Mai’s Cranemere fund as chief executive. The private holding company has investors from the United States, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East and takes a long-term investing approach in the mold of Warren Buffett.

Zients, who is on leave from Cranemere, also spent two years on the board of Facebook and was a member of the company’s audit committee. He has told people that he had concerns about the company’s direction and governance, and opted not to seek reelection to the board this year. Facebook has come under fire from Democrats for allowing the spread of disinformation and from Republicans who accuse it of censorship.

Jeff Hauser, director of the Revolving Door Project, said Zients’ experience working in private equity and at Facebook was particularly problematic and could portend trouble for progressive causes in a Biden White House. And while he sees Zients’ experience in the health care industry as useful for managing the pandemic response, Hauser said he was concerned that Zients could be too accommodating to business as vaccines are rolled out next year.

“Dissemination and delivery of the vaccine will be a significant undertaking,” Hauser said. He added that Zients understood how to do it, “but whether or not he would be too sympathetic to businesses in management of that power is to be determined.”

In a role directing the virus response, which will require coordination across government agencies and the private sector, corporate management experience could be an asset.

Fred P. Hochberg, who was president of the U.S. Export-Import Bank from 2009-17, said that ideological labels evolved over time and that business experience should not be a blemish.

“I think Jeff is certainly progressive, but there’s a pragmatism, a ‘what can we get done to move things forward?’ ” Hochberg said. “In government, it’s about accomplishing things. It’s not just about making a statement.”

Five years ago, Jeffrey D. Zients was the head of the Obama administration’s National Economic Council, working to push across the finish line a federal rule that would prevent financial advisers from taking advantage of retirees.

Five years ago, Jeffrey D. Zients was the head of the Obama administration’s National Economic Council, working to push across the finish line a federal rule that would prevent financial advisers from taking advantage of retirees. He won praise from progressives for fending off fierce resistance from Wall Street and fighting for consumer protections. These days, Zients is a co-chairman of President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team who is being watched warily by members of the Democratic Party’s left wing. Progressive advocacy groups such as the Revolving Door Project and Justice Democrats, concerned he would defend corporate America if given a top economic policy job in the Biden administration, pushed to keep him out of such a role. They view his recent work running an investment fund — Cranemere — and sitting on the board of Facebook as a detriment. The preemptive resistance to Zients (pronounced ZYE-ents) from the left is the latest indication of how the Democratic Party has shifted in the dozen years since former President Barack Obama took office amid the financial crisis. Now, business and finance experience can turn otherwise qualified White House candidates into pariahs for progressives. Zients, 54, has emerged as an important power center in the Biden transition team and was mentioned as a possible candidate to once again lead the National Economic Council or head the Office of Management and Budget, a role he held in an acting capacity during the Obama administration. With those jobs set to be filled by others, Zients is the front-runner, according to people familiar with the transition team’s plans, to be the Biden administration’s COVID czar, steering the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. In a sign of the pushback to come, the Revolving Door Project, which has been urging Biden to keep corporate influence out of his administration, has compiled a 13-page document about Zients. The file highlights his wealth, his appetite for deficit reduction during the Obama years and his recent work as chief executive of Cranemere. In the Obama administration, “his role was essentially to be a management consultant for the executive branch: cutting costs, finding efficiencies and looking at things like a businessman,” the Revolving Door document says. The group points to the majority stake that Cranemere took in NorthStar Anesthesia, a company that provides anesthesia services to hospitals and medical offices, in 2018. It cites negative reviews that NorthStar Anesthesia received through the Better Business Bureau, including allegations of surprise billing and a threat to send a dental patient’s bill to a collection agency during a dispute over insurance coverage. That matter was resolved, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. A spokeswoman for NorthStar said that within two months of Cranemere’s acquisition of the company, it had ended its practice of “balance billing” — charging patients the difference between the cost of their services and what their insurers will pay. Jennifer Psaki, a spokeswoman for the Biden transition team, said Zients opposes surprise billing practices. “Jeff, like President-elect Biden, supports legislation to stop surprise billing by forcing the entire health care system to limit patient payments to in-network rates for all procedures and providers not preapproved by the patient,” Psaki said. Progressives have been pushing the Biden transition team to install their preferred candidates in top roles and have been fairly supportive of some of Biden’s early picks. These include Janet Yellen, the former Federal Reserve chair, to be Treasury secretary; Cecilia Rouse, a Princeton University labor economist, to run the Council of Economic Advisers; and Neera Tanden, chief executive of the Center for American Progress, to lead the Office of Management and Budget. But others are triggering a backlash, including Brian Deese, whom Biden has tapped to head the National Economic Council, and Adewale Adeyemo, the president-elect’s choice for deputy Treasury secretary. Both men have worked at asset management firm BlackRock, and many in the progressive wing view deep industry ties as a red flag. “Democrats should overall be alarmed by any Democratic administration considering filling the White House with Wall Street insiders and corporate lobbyists,” said Waleed Shahid, spokesman for Justice Democrats, a political action committee. Early in his career, Zients worked as a consultant at Bain &amp; Co. before joining Advisory Board Co., a health care research and consulting firm, where he rose to chief executive. He helped lead a spinoff of that business, which became the Corporate Executive Board, and both companies ultimately went public, in 1999 and 2001. According to Fortune, the Advisory Board’s profitable initial public offering helped fuel Zients’ net worth, which the magazine placed at nearly $150 million by 2002. In 2009, Zients joined the Office of Management and Budget as “chief performance officer,” rising to prominence within the Obama administration as a “Mr. Fix-It” with strong operations skills and a knack for solving tough problems. Obama administration officials remember him for reviving the Affordable Care Act’s website, HealthCare.gov, after glitches plagued its rollout. “I call him the ultimate firefighter on these jobs,” said Denis R. McDonough, Obama’s chief of staff, who asked Zients to take on the project of fixing the website in 2013. “He runs into the burning buildings. He doesn’t ask why. He doesn’t ask when. He doesn’t ask who’s going with him.” Later in Obama’s second term, Zients led the National Economic Council, where he shepherded new regulations to crack down on payday lending and steered the development of the so-called fiduciary rule — a requirement that financial professionals put the interests of their customers with retirement accounts ahead of their own. The Labor Department rule, which the financial services and insurance industries strongly challenged, was struck down by a federal appeals court in 2018. Those efforts earned him accolades from some progressive Democrats. “The government needs talent and experience,” said Dennis Kelleher, president of Better Markets, which promotes Wall Street reform, and a member of Biden’s transition review team for the Fed, banking and securities regulators. “People who are going to try to regulate an industry as complicated as finance can’t say we’re only going to hire people who know nothing about finance.” But his role as a bridge to business during the Obama administration has raised some eyebrows. Zients was one of the administration’s chief liaisons to executives and lobbyists when anger at Wall Street over the 2007-08 financial crisis was at its peak. Top lobbyists such as the Business Roundtable and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have praised Zients as someone who heard them out. Describing his desire to listen to business leaders, Zients told executives at a 2014 event at the Economic Club of Washington, “You are the customers, all of you as business leaders, in terms of growing the economy.” After Obama left office, Zients joined private equity investor Vincent Mai’s Cranemere fund as chief executive. The private holding company has investors from the United States, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East and takes a long-term investing approach in the mold of Warren Buffett. Zients, who is on leave from Cranemere, also spent two years on the board of Facebook and was a member of the company’s audit committee. He has told people that he had concerns about the company’s direction and governance, and opted not to seek reelection to the board this year. Facebook has come under fire from Democrats for allowing the spread of disinformation and from Republicans who accuse it of censorship. Jeff Hauser, director of the Revolving Door Project, said Zients’ experience working in private equity and at Facebook was particularly problematic and could portend trouble for progressive causes in a Biden White House. And while he sees Zients’ experience in the health care industry as useful for managing the pandemic response, Hauser said he was concerned that Zients could be too accommodating to business as vaccines are rolled out next year. “Dissemination and delivery of the vaccine will be a significant undertaking,” Hauser said. He added that Zients understood how to do it, “but whether or not he would be too sympathetic to businesses in management of that power is to be determined.” In a role directing the virus response, which will require coordination across government agencies and the private sector, corporate management experience could be an asset. Fred P. Hochberg, who was president of the U.S. Export-Import Bank from 2009-17, said that ideological labels evolved over time and that business experience should not be a blemish. “I think Jeff is certainly progressive, but there’s a pragmatism, a ‘what can we get done to move things forward?’ ” Hochberg said. “In government, it’s about accomplishing things. It’s not just about making a statement.”

Biden faces a balancing act in choosing top aides with business ties

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a> has already been labelled as the US President-elect, but the outgoing&nbsp;President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;is refusing to concede even as he lost his legal battles in the states of Arizona and Wisconsin.

After an investigation into Trump's baseless claims of voter fraud and manipulation, Arizona secretary of state Katie Hobbs has cleared the air by stating that "this election was conducted with transparency, accuracy and fairness in accordance with Arizona's laws and elections procedures, despite numerous unfounded claims to the contrary."

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-and-his-tiny-desk-diaperdon-trends-on-twitter-345984">Donald Trump and his tiny desk; #DiaperDon trends on Twitter</a>

Biden has become the first Democrat after Bill Clinton to win this state, which has majorly been Republican in the recent past. Bill Clinton won the state&nbsp;in 1996, and Biden's win, this year, has marked history and has marked a significant shift in the electoral map.

Biden beat Trump by just over 10,400 ballots in a state where turnout was high, and shifting demographics saw a growing population of young Hispanic voters. As per experts, his historic win is being credited to&nbsp;suburban women attracted to his centrist approach.

Also read|<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trumps-close-advisor-scott-atlas-resigns-from-covid-19-taskforce-346573">&nbsp;Donald Trump's close advisor, Scott Atlas, resigns from COVID-19 taskforce</a>

While the country was being given the proof of a transparent and error-free electoral process, Trump took to Twitter to disagree with the results, yet again.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/OANN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OANN</a> WOW, total election corruption in Arizona. Hearing on now! Why isn’t <a href="https://twitter.com/FoxNews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FoxNews</a> covering the Arizona hearings?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1333464453778706433?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2020</a></blockquote>
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"WOW, total election corruption in Arizona. Hearing on now!," he tweeted a few hours before claiming "Such total corruption. So sad for our country!" on the same topic on Twitter.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/joe-biden-appoints-white-houses-first-all-female-communication-team-346323">Joe Biden appoints White House's first all-female communication team</a>

The state of Wisconsin, too, certified Biden's victory after the Governor Tony Evers concluded the process by saying he has "carried out his duty".

"Please join me in thanking our clerks, election administrators, and poll workers across our state for working tirelessly to ensure we had a safe, fair and efficient election," Evers said.

The news broke out a day after&nbsp;Pennsylvania's highest court, too, dismissed Trump's claims of voter fraud in the state. Trump has, meanwhile, also stated that he will concede to Biden only if he loses in the&nbsp;electoral college voting.

Joe Biden has already been labelled as the US President-elect, but the outgoing President Donald Trump is refusing to concede even as he lost his legal battles in the states of Arizona and Wisconsin.

Joe Biden has already been labelled as the US President-elect, but the outgoing President Donald Trump is refusing to concede even as he lost his legal battles in the states of Arizona and Wisconsin. After an investigation into Trump's baseless claims of voter fraud and manipulation, Arizona secretary of state Katie Hobbs has cleared the air by stating that "this election was conducted with transparency, accuracy and fairness in accordance with Arizona's laws and elections procedures, despite numerous unfounded claims to the contrary." Also read| Donald Trump and his tiny desk; #DiaperDon trends on Twitter Biden has become the first Democrat after Bill Clinton to win this state, which has majorly been Republican in the recent past. Bill Clinton won the state in 1996, and Biden's win, this year, has marked history and has marked a significant shift in the electoral map. Biden beat Trump by just over 10,400 ballots in a state where turnout was high, and shifting demographics saw a growing population of young Hispanic voters. As per experts, his historic win is being credited to suburban women attracted to his centrist approach. Also read| Donald Trump's close advisor, Scott Atlas, resigns from COVID-19 taskforce While the country was being given the proof of a transparent and error-free electoral process, Trump took to Twitter to disagree with the results, yet again. .@OANN WOW, total election corruption in Arizona. Hearing on now! Why isn’t @FoxNews covering the Arizona hearings? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 30, 2020 × "WOW, total election corruption in Arizona. Hearing on now!," he tweeted a few hours before claiming "Such total corruption. So sad for our country!" on the same topic on Twitter. Also read| Joe Biden appoints White House's first all-female communication team The state of Wisconsin, too, certified Biden's victory after the Governor Tony Evers concluded the process by saying he has "carried out his duty". "Please join me in thanking our clerks, election administrators, and poll workers across our state for working tirelessly to ensure we had a safe, fair and efficient election," Evers said. The news broke out a day after Pennsylvania's highest court, too, dismissed Trump's claims of voter fraud in the state. Trump has, meanwhile, also stated that he will concede to Biden only if he loses in the electoral college voting.

Joe Biden wins Arizona, Wisconsin; Donald Trump alleges corruption

The US President-elect&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;has been vocal about bringing more diversity in his cabinet and team. Living up to his promise, he has announced an all-female senior White House communications team.

This is the first time a President has elected an all-female team. The decision has been made as a part of the recent appointments after Biden's historic win against the outgoing President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;in the recently held&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/us-election">US elections</a>.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/brazilian-president-jair-bolsonaro-alleges-lot-of-fraud-in-us-election-2020-346316">Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro alleges 'lot of fraud' in US election 2020</a>

"I am proud to announce today the first senior White House communications team comprised entirely of women," Biden said in a statement. "These qualified, experienced communicators bring diverse perspectives to their work and a shared commitment to building this country back better."

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For the role of the White House press secretary, Boden appointed Jen Psaki who has held an array of senior positions in the White House in the past, including — but not limited to —&nbsp;White House communications director under the Obama-Biden administration. The 41-year-old has also served as a spokesperson for the United States Department of State and is a contributor on CNN.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/joe-biden-to-nominate-indian-american-neera-tanden-as-budget-chief-report-346315" hreflang="en">Joe Biden to nominate Indian-American Neera Tanden as budget chief: Report&nbsp;</a>

To assist Psaki,&nbsp;Kate Bedingfield has also been appointed as White House communications director.&nbsp;Bedingfield has earlier served as Biden's deputy campaign manager and his&nbsp;communications director.

In addition to the two senior members,&nbsp;Ashley Etienne will be serving as communications director for <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/kamala-harris">Kamala Harris</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;Symone Sanders will be acting&nbsp;as Harris's senior advisor and chief spokeswoman.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-loses-another-election-court-challenge-legal-defeats-pile-up-346148" hreflang="en">Trump loses another election court challenge; legal defeats pile up</a>

Pili Tobar was named deputy White House communications director and Karine Jean Pierre will be principal deputy press secretary. The incoming First Lady, Jill Biden, will have the support of&nbsp;Elizabeth Alexander as her communications director.

The women will start working in the office after Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are sworn in for their positions on January 20.

The US President-elect Joe Biden has been vocal about bringing more diversity in his cabinet and team. Living up to his promise, he has announced an all-female senior White House communications team.

The US President-elect Joe Biden has been vocal about bringing more diversity in his cabinet and team. Living up to his promise, he has announced an all-female senior White House communications team. This is the first time a President has elected an all-female team. The decision has been made as a part of the recent appointments after Biden's historic win against the outgoing President Donald Trump in the recently held US elections. Also read| Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro alleges 'lot of fraud' in US election 2020 "I am proud to announce today the first senior White House communications team comprised entirely of women," Biden said in a statement. "These qualified, experienced communicators bring diverse perspectives to their work and a shared commitment to building this country back better." × For the role of the White House press secretary, Boden appointed Jen Psaki who has held an array of senior positions in the White House in the past, including — but not limited to — White House communications director under the Obama-Biden administration. The 41-year-old has also served as a spokesperson for the United States Department of State and is a contributor on CNN. Also read| Joe Biden to nominate Indian-American Neera Tanden as budget chief: Report To assist Psaki, Kate Bedingfield has also been appointed as White House communications director. Bedingfield has earlier served as Biden's deputy campaign manager and his communications director. In addition to the two senior members, Ashley Etienne will be serving as communications director for Kamala Harris and Symone Sanders will be acting as Harris's senior advisor and chief spokeswoman. Also read| Trump loses another election court challenge; legal defeats pile up Pili Tobar was named deputy White House communications director and Karine Jean Pierre will be principal deputy press secretary. The incoming First Lady, Jill Biden, will have the support of Elizabeth Alexander as her communications director. The women will start working in the office after Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are sworn in for their positions on January 20.

Joe Biden appoints White House's first all-female communication team

The election authority in Arizona and Wisconsin has certified the US President-election Joe Biden as winner in the states.

US: Election authority certify President-elect Joe Biden as winner in Arizona and Wisconsin

Marking one of many, the outgoing US President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>'s close advisor on the novel coronavirus has resigned on Monday.

"I am writing to resign from my position as special advisor to the president of the United States," Scott Atlas&nbsp;wrote in a resignation letter to the President. He was&nbsp;infamous for his remarks on not wearing a mask amid a pandemic. The news broke out when a US media channel received a copy of the resignation letter which was dated for December 01.&nbsp;

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/joe-biden-appoints-white-houses-first-all-female-communication-team-346323">Joe Biden appoints White House's first all-female communication team</a>

Atlas had attracted controversy during his time in the COVID-19 taskforce. However, as the coronavirus cases were on a surge and the incoming President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;is preparing his own team, Atlas' resignation was not received as a shock.

His appointment had, earlier, raised concerns as he was not an expert and had no relevant&nbsp;experience or qualifications in public health or infectious disease.&nbsp;

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/brazilian-president-jair-bolsonaro-alleges-lot-of-fraud-in-us-election-2020-346316">Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro alleges 'lot of fraud' in US election 2020</a>

"I worked hard with a singular focus -- to save lives and help Americans through this pandemic," Atlas said, adding that he "always relied on the latest science and evidence, without any political consideration or influence.

Acknowledging the historic win for Joe Biden — something that Donald Trump has not been able to do till date — Atlas wished "all the best" to the incoming administration in his resignation letter. He also thanked his President, Donald Trump, for the "honor".

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/joe-biden-to-nominate-indian-american-neera-tanden-as-budget-chief-report-346315" hreflang="en">Joe Biden to nominate Indian-American Neera Tanden as budget chief: Report&nbsp;</a>

He was infamous for one of his tweets where he discouraged people from wearing a face mask while stepping out in the pandemic by saying, "Masks work? NO".&nbsp;Twitter had slapped a warning label of spreading misinformation on his tweet. He had also asked people to "rise up" against lockdowns and other coronavirus measures.

The&nbsp;US had recorded 13,522,247 coronavirus cases and 267,844 deaths, both by far the worst tolls in the world as of Monday night.

Marking one of many, the outgoing US President Donald Trump's close advisor on the novel coronavirus has resigned on Monday. "I am writing to resign from my position as special advisor to the president of the United States," Scott Atlas wrote in a resignation letter to the President.

Marking one of many, the outgoing US President Donald Trump's close advisor on the novel coronavirus has resigned on Monday. "I am writing to resign from my position as special advisor to the president of the United States," Scott Atlas wrote in a resignation letter to the President. He was infamous for his remarks on not wearing a mask amid a pandemic. The news broke out when a US media channel received a copy of the resignation letter which was dated for December 01. Also read| Joe Biden appoints White House's first all-female communication team Atlas had attracted controversy during his time in the COVID-19 taskforce. However, as the coronavirus cases were on a surge and the incoming President Joe Biden is preparing his own team, Atlas' resignation was not received as a shock. His appointment had, earlier, raised concerns as he was not an expert and had no relevant experience or qualifications in public health or infectious disease. Also read| Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro alleges 'lot of fraud' in US election 2020 "I worked hard with a singular focus -- to save lives and help Americans through this pandemic," Atlas said, adding that he "always relied on the latest science and evidence, without any political consideration or influence. Acknowledging the historic win for Joe Biden — something that Donald Trump has not been able to do till date — Atlas wished "all the best" to the incoming administration in his resignation letter. He also thanked his President, Donald Trump, for the "honor". Also read| Joe Biden to nominate Indian-American Neera Tanden as budget chief: Report He was infamous for one of his tweets where he discouraged people from wearing a face mask while stepping out in the pandemic by saying, "Masks work? NO". Twitter had slapped a warning label of spreading misinformation on his tweet. He had also asked people to "rise up" against lockdowns and other coronavirus measures. The US had recorded 13,522,247 coronavirus cases and 267,844 deaths, both by far the worst tolls in the world as of Monday night.

Donald Trump's close advisor, Scott Atlas, resigns from COVID-19 taskforce

The stage being built on the West Front of the Capitol can hold 1,600 spectators for a close-up view of President-elect <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;as he takes the oath of office. The reviewing stand under construction in front of the White House will be ready for the inaugural parade and thousands of cheering onlookers as the marchers pass by. And the National Mall is prepared to accommodate many more.

But the traditional pomp and circumstance of America’s quadrennial version of a coronation is colliding with the grim reality of a pandemic that is likely to still be raging on Jan. 20. For that reason, Biden’s team is signaling that he wants a very different kind of inauguration.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trumps-close-advisor-scott-atlas-resigns-from-covid-19-taskforce-346573">Donald Trump's close advisor, Scott Atlas, resigns from COVID-19 taskforce</a>

If he had won reelection, President Donald Trump was expected to shrug off the health threats in favor of huge crowds for his inauguration. But Biden has already indicated that his will not be business as usual. In a statement Monday, the newly appointed chief executive of Biden’s inaugural committee hinted at the looming balancing act between health and politics.
<img alt="The reviewing stand in Washington, between the White House and Lafayette Square, on Monday, Nov. 30, 2020. The pomp and circumstance of America’s quadrennial presidential inauguration is colliding with the grim reality of a pandemic that is likely to still be raging on January 20, 2021. (Doug Mills © 2020 The New York Times)" data-align="center" data-caption="The reviewing stand in Washington, between the White House and Lafayette Square, on Monday, Nov. 30, 2020. The pomp and circumstance of America’s quadrennial presidential inauguration is colliding with the grim reality of a pandemic that is likely to still be raging on January 20, 2021. (Doug Mills © 2020 The New York Times)" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="6316f866-76a9-49c8-beef-fc3e47e72508" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Joe%20Biden%20inauguration%20%282%29.jpg" />
“We will honor the American inaugural traditions and engage Americans across the country while keeping everybody healthy and safe,” said Tony Allen, the president of Delaware State University and the committee’s chief executive.

What could that look like?

Aides to the president-elect are being coy. But Biden’s approach to campaigning during the pandemic — which included drive-in rallies, socially distanced news conferences and a largely virtual national convention — provides a blueprint for how events might be reshaped for the COVID era.

On Capitol Hill, where the official inaugural ceremonies are arranged by a bipartisan congressional committee, lawmakers and aides have quietly been at work since long before the election trying to reimagine what a transfer of power during a pandemic might look like.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/joe-biden-appoints-white-houses-first-all-female-communication-team-346323">Joe Biden appoints White House's first all-female communication team</a>

The short answer is: quite a bit less crowded.

The organizers are determined that Biden take the oath of office and deliver an address to the nation outside the West Front of the Capitol, preserving an iconic tableau that has often set the tone for a new presidency. But to make it happen, they are likely to slash the number of officials flanking Biden. Those who do make the cut — Supreme Court justices, former presidents, top House and Senate leaders and the Joint Chiefs of Staff among them — will be required to socially distance and wear masks. Some may be asked to take coronavirus tests.

The most difficult challenge may be keeping away crowds. Congress typically distributes 200,000 tickets for seats near the platform. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., who is overseeing the planning on Capitol Hill, has indicated that number could be cut drastically.
<img alt="The reviewing stand in Washington, between the White House and Lafayette Square, on Monday, Nov. 30, 2020. The pomp and circumstance of America’s quadrennial presidential inauguration is colliding with the grim reality of a pandemic that is likely to still be raging on January 20, 2021. (Doug Mills © 2020 The New York Times)" data-align="center" data-caption="The reviewing stand in Washington, between the White House and Lafayette Square, on Monday, Nov. 30, 2020. The pomp and circumstance of America’s quadrennial presidential inauguration is colliding with the grim reality of a pandemic that is likely to still be raging on January 20, 2021. (Doug Mills © 2020 The New York Times)" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="f6b58329-62d9-475d-804a-29e167a5bf1c" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Joe%20Biden%20inauguration.jpg" />
Inaugural planners are still debating whether they can salvage a luncheon in National Statuary Hall at the Capitol, where more than 200 dignitaries and guests have honored the new president since the 1950s. They may also alter or cancel a smaller signing ceremony in the ornate President’s Room off the Senate floor. A traditional military review on the East Front of the Capitol, on the other hand, may still go on in some form.

The planning has been overshadowed by congressional Republicans, including Blunt, who have not refuted the president’s baseless claims that he defeated Biden. Blunt turned heads during a television appearance over the weekend, when he refused to unequivocally congratulate Biden as the victor. But Paige Waltz, a spokesperson for the congressional inaugural committee, said Monday that while “the electoral process is still playing out,” Blunt’s team would begin coordinating with Biden’s.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/brazilian-president-jair-bolsonaro-alleges-lot-of-fraud-in-us-election-2020-346316">Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro alleges 'lot of fraud' in US election 2020</a>

One uncertainty for lawmakers: whether Trump will agree to attend his successor’s inauguration given his complaints about what he calls a rigged election. If he declines, he will be only the fourth president to deliver such a snub, after John Adams, John Quincy Adams and Andrew Johnson.

But Democrats have signaled that they have seen no partisan interference in the planning process and expect a smooth inauguration.

“While the pandemic will make this inauguration look different than previous years, we are committed to creating a safe ceremony that reflects the significance of the occasion,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Blunt’s Democratic counterpart, said in a statement.

Given the worsening pandemic, it is unclear whether Biden might seek to proactively discourage Americans from traveling to the nation’s capital to witness the inauguration in person by gathering on the Mall in the shadow of the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. Those spaces are usually open to the public without restrictions during the ceremony.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/joe-biden-to-nominate-indian-american-neera-tanden-as-budget-chief-report-346315" hreflang="en">Joe Biden to nominate Indian-American Neera Tanden as budget chief: Report&nbsp;</a>

In December 2008, the committee organizing the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama issued a news release announcing that “for the first time, the entire length of the National Mall will be opened to the public so that more people than ever before will be able to witness the swearing-in of the president from a vantage point in sight of the Capitol.”

Biden’s committee has no plans to issue a statement like that.

One thing is definite: Biden’s inauguration will not be the kind of over-the-top celebration that Trump has often talked about wanting, with Army tanks and fighter jets. Instead, people close to Biden suggest that he will use the model of his campaign, which sought to preserve some of the excitement of big political events while devising them to minimize the spread of the virus.

At the Democratic National Convention, Biden delivered his acceptance speech between recorded video segments highlighting the diversity of the nation. At rallies, the former vice president often spoke in front of people gathered in their cars, honking their horns. And when he declared victory in Wilmington, Delaware, his campaign launched fireworks.

Could there be a drive-in inaugural celebration? Might a parade of cars with Delaware license plates — Biden’s home state — be a safe way to ring in his presidency? The Biden inaugural committee is not saying.

Addisu Demissie, who helped design and run the Democratic National Convention this summer, said the trick would be to combine in-person elements from a traditional inauguration with virtual, Internet-based moments that bring in voices of people who cannot travel to attend the celebration.

“To me, that’s the core challenge,” Demissie said. “You have to include the traditional elements. But you can’t just take the model that existed four, eight or 12 years ago and put it on Zoom. You have to create some new traditions. The circumstances demand that.”

After spending months warning about the dangers of hosting large gatherings indoors — and criticizing Trump for doing so — Biden is unlikely to host fancy inaugural balls where hundreds of supporters are crammed into ballrooms.

That would be a sharp departure from the past three inaugurations. Obama hosted elaborate galas attended by A-list Hollywood celebrities for both of his inaugurations, including a late-night concert at the Lincoln Memorial that hundreds of thousands of people attended. Trump held three official balls.

A parade is also in question.

Newly inaugurated presidents have often participated in a slow drive along Pennsylvania Avenue and then watched local marching bands and other floats from the reviewing stand near Lafayette Park. The stand for January is ready, but hosting a parade would invite large crowds to gather along the route, something that Biden is likely to want to avoid.

A scaled-back celebration could also be cheaper to put on because of fewer security and travel costs, though Demissie said that producing video and broadcasting from remote locations for a more virtual inauguration would also be costly.

There were signs Monday that though Biden may not be trying to top his predecessor, who raised a record $107 million for his 2017 festivities, he would welcome donations from wealthy individuals and corporations.

Biden’s team indicated that it would accept donations of up to $500,000 from individuals and up to $1 million from corporations, according to an official involved in the planning. The cap is set by each president and has fluctuated over the years, as incoming executives have used the inauguration to set the tone for their presidencies. Obama, for instance, banned corporate gifts altogether in 2009 and capped individual gifts at $50,000 before easing restrictions in 2013. Trump, on the other hand, accepted $5 million from Sheldon Adelson, the conservative casino mogul.

Biden’s team has sent something of a mixed message. His inauguration will not accept donations from fossil fuel companies, defined as “companies whose primary business is the extraction, processing, distribution or sale of oil, gas or coal,” or their executives — a group that gave Trump about $10 million. Nor will Biden accept funds from registered lobbyists.

But that is a relatively small subset of Washington’s lucrative influence industry, and Biden’s team indicated that it would still accept some gifts from corporations and trade associations, which typically shower incoming presidents’ inaugurations with cash to promote goodwill with officials. It remained to be seen whether Biden would put together the kind of exclusive, VIP packages that typically woo big donors.

He also selected Katie Petrelius, the national finance director who oversaw an effort that raised record sums for his campaign, to serve in a similar role as the top fundraiser for his inauguration, according to a person familiar with the appointment.

The stage being built on the West Front of the Capitol can hold 1,600 spectators for a close-up view of President-elect Joe Biden as he takes the oath of office.

The stage being built on the West Front of the Capitol can hold 1,600 spectators for a close-up view of President-elect Joe Biden as he takes the oath of office. The reviewing stand under construction in front of the White House will be ready for the inaugural parade and thousands of cheering onlookers as the marchers pass by. And the National Mall is prepared to accommodate many more. But the traditional pomp and circumstance of America’s quadrennial version of a coronation is colliding with the grim reality of a pandemic that is likely to still be raging on Jan. 20. For that reason, Biden’s team is signaling that he wants a very different kind of inauguration. Also read| Donald Trump's close advisor, Scott Atlas, resigns from COVID-19 taskforce If he had won reelection, President Donald Trump was expected to shrug off the health threats in favor of huge crowds for his inauguration. But Biden has already indicated that his will not be business as usual. In a statement Monday, the newly appointed chief executive of Biden’s inaugural committee hinted at the looming balancing act between health and politics. “We will honor the American inaugural traditions and engage Americans across the country while keeping everybody healthy and safe,” said Tony Allen, the president of Delaware State University and the committee’s chief executive. What could that look like? Aides to the president-elect are being coy. But Biden’s approach to campaigning during the pandemic — which included drive-in rallies, socially distanced news conferences and a largely virtual national convention — provides a blueprint for how events might be reshaped for the COVID era. On Capitol Hill, where the official inaugural ceremonies are arranged by a bipartisan congressional committee, lawmakers and aides have quietly been at work since long before the election trying to reimagine what a transfer of power during a pandemic might look like. Also read| Joe Biden appoints White House's first all-female communication team The short answer is: quite a bit less crowded. The organizers are determined that Biden take the oath of office and deliver an address to the nation outside the West Front of the Capitol, preserving an iconic tableau that has often set the tone for a new presidency. But to make it happen, they are likely to slash the number of officials flanking Biden. Those who do make the cut — Supreme Court justices, former presidents, top House and Senate leaders and the Joint Chiefs of Staff among them — will be required to socially distance and wear masks. Some may be asked to take coronavirus tests. The most difficult challenge may be keeping away crowds. Congress typically distributes 200,000 tickets for seats near the platform. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., who is overseeing the planning on Capitol Hill, has indicated that number could be cut drastically. Inaugural planners are still debating whether they can salvage a luncheon in National Statuary Hall at the Capitol, where more than 200 dignitaries and guests have honored the new president since the 1950s. They may also alter or cancel a smaller signing ceremony in the ornate President’s Room off the Senate floor. A traditional military review on the East Front of the Capitol, on the other hand, may still go on in some form. The planning has been overshadowed by congressional Republicans, including Blunt, who have not refuted the president’s baseless claims that he defeated Biden. Blunt turned heads during a television appearance over the weekend, when he refused to unequivocally congratulate Biden as the victor. But Paige Waltz, a spokesperson for the congressional inaugural committee, said Monday that while “the electoral process is still playing out,” Blunt’s team would begin coordinating with Biden’s. Also read| Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro alleges 'lot of fraud' in US election 2020 One uncertainty for lawmakers: whether Trump will agree to attend his successor’s inauguration given his complaints about what he calls a rigged election. If he declines, he will be only the fourth president to deliver such a snub, after John Adams, John Quincy Adams and Andrew Johnson. But Democrats have signaled that they have seen no partisan interference in the planning process and expect a smooth inauguration. “While the pandemic will make this inauguration look different than previous years, we are committed to creating a safe ceremony that reflects the significance of the occasion,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Blunt’s Democratic counterpart, said in a statement. Given the worsening pandemic, it is unclear whether Biden might seek to proactively discourage Americans from traveling to the nation’s capital to witness the inauguration in person by gathering on the Mall in the shadow of the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. Those spaces are usually open to the public without restrictions during the ceremony. Also read| Joe Biden to nominate Indian-American Neera Tanden as budget chief: Report In December 2008, the committee organizing the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama issued a news release announcing that “for the first time, the entire length of the National Mall will be opened to the public so that more people than ever before will be able to witness the swearing-in of the president from a vantage point in sight of the Capitol.” Biden’s committee has no plans to issue a statement like that. One thing is definite: Biden’s inauguration will not be the kind of over-the-top celebration that Trump has often talked about wanting, with Army tanks and fighter jets. Instead, people close to Biden suggest that he will use the model of his campaign, which sought to preserve some of the excitement of big political events while devising them to minimize the spread of the virus. At the Democratic National Convention, Biden delivered his acceptance speech between recorded video segments highlighting the diversity of the nation. At rallies, the former vice president often spoke in front of people gathered in their cars, honking their horns. And when he declared victory in Wilmington, Delaware, his campaign launched fireworks. Could there be a drive-in inaugural celebration? Might a parade of cars with Delaware license plates — Biden’s home state — be a safe way to ring in his presidency? The Biden inaugural committee is not saying. Addisu Demissie, who helped design and run the Democratic National Convention this summer, said the trick would be to combine in-person elements from a traditional inauguration with virtual, Internet-based moments that bring in voices of people who cannot travel to attend the celebration. “To me, that’s the core challenge,” Demissie said. “You have to include the traditional elements. But you can’t just take the model that existed four, eight or 12 years ago and put it on Zoom. You have to create some new traditions. The circumstances demand that.” After spending months warning about the dangers of hosting large gatherings indoors — and criticizing Trump for doing so — Biden is unlikely to host fancy inaugural balls where hundreds of supporters are crammed into ballrooms. That would be a sharp departure from the past three inaugurations. Obama hosted elaborate galas attended by A-list Hollywood celebrities for both of his inaugurations, including a late-night concert at the Lincoln Memorial that hundreds of thousands of people attended. Trump held three official balls. A parade is also in question. Newly inaugurated presidents have often participated in a slow drive along Pennsylvania Avenue and then watched local marching bands and other floats from the reviewing stand near Lafayette Park. The stand for January is ready, but hosting a parade would invite large crowds to gather along the route, something that Biden is likely to want to avoid. A scaled-back celebration could also be cheaper to put on because of fewer security and travel costs, though Demissie said that producing video and broadcasting from remote locations for a more virtual inauguration would also be costly. There were signs Monday that though Biden may not be trying to top his predecessor, who raised a record $107 million for his 2017 festivities, he would welcome donations from wealthy individuals and corporations. Biden’s team indicated that it would accept donations of up to $500,000 from individuals and up to $1 million from corporations, according to an official involved in the planning. The cap is set by each president and has fluctuated over the years, as incoming executives have used the inauguration to set the tone for their presidencies. Obama, for instance, banned corporate gifts altogether in 2009 and capped individual gifts at $50,000 before easing restrictions in 2013. Trump, on the other hand, accepted $5 million from Sheldon Adelson, the conservative casino mogul. Biden’s team has sent something of a mixed message. His inauguration will not accept donations from fossil fuel companies, defined as “companies whose primary business is the extraction, processing, distribution or sale of oil, gas or coal,” or their executives — a group that gave Trump about $10 million. Nor will Biden accept funds from registered lobbyists. But that is a relatively small subset of Washington’s lucrative influence industry, and Biden’s team indicated that it would still accept some gifts from corporations and trade associations, which typically shower incoming presidents’ inaugurations with cash to promote goodwill with officials. It remained to be seen whether Biden would put together the kind of exclusive, VIP packages that typically woo big donors. He also selected Katie Petrelius, the national finance director who oversaw an effort that raised record sums for his campaign, to serve in a similar role as the top fundraiser for his inauguration, according to a person familiar with the appointment.

Joe Biden’s inauguration: Expect smaller crowds and more social distancing

After hinting at conceding defeat to <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a> in the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/us-election">US election</a> 2020, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a> is also losing his Twitter followers to the president-elect.

According to Factbase, a site committed to following Trump's public utterances, the president has lost 133,902 devotees since 17 November while the duly elected president has increased 1,156,610.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/joe-biden-wins-arizona-wisconsin-donald-trump-alleges-corruption-346581">Joe Biden wins Arizona, Wisconsin; Donald Trump alleges corruption</a>

In a Sunday tweet, CNN host and media columnist Brian Stelter said that while Twitter supporters were "without a doubt not the main measurement on the planet", it was "still significant: unexpectedly since 2015, Trump is reliably losing adherents".&nbsp;

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Surely not the most important metric in the world, but still worth noting: For the first time since 2015, Trump is consistently losing followers on here. <a href="https://twitter.com/FactbaseFeed?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FactbaseFeed</a> has measured small declines for 11 days in a row. <a href="https://t.co/BZzXJ2D0SJ">pic.twitter.com/BZzXJ2D0SJ</a>
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) <a href="https://twitter.com/brianstelter/status/1333135900419698690?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 29, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Factbase, he called attention to, had "estimated little decreases for 11 days straight".&nbsp;

Trump has 88.8 million devotees, to whom he keeps on tweeting ridiculous cases of constituent extortion and hard and fast paranoid notions encompassing his misfortune to Biden.&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/wion-dispatch-trump-close-aide-jared-kushner-and-team-heading-to-qatar-saudi-arabia-346529/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

His latest message at the hour of composing went with a video of a group at a convention and stated: "No chance WE LOST THIS ELECTION!"&nbsp;

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NO WAY WE LOST THIS ELECTION! <a href="https://t.co/orOXBaR8uE">https://t.co/orOXBaR8uE</a>
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1333245684011642881?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Trump has griped about his treatment by Twitter, claiming it is one-sided against traditionalists. Numerous onlookers expect that once he leaves office, the site will quit assuming the best about him with respect to his bogus and fiery messages.&nbsp;

Biden has 20.2 million adherents.&nbsp;

On Monday morning, his latest message read: "It's an ideal opportunity to take care of the brutal way of talking, bring down the temperature, and hear each out other once more. To gain ground, we should quit regarding our rivals as our adversaries. We are not foes. We are Americans."

After hinting at conceding defeat to Joe Biden in the US election 2020, Donald Trump is also losing his Twitter followers to the president-elect. According to Factbase, a site committed to following Trump's public utterances, the president has lost 133,902 devotees since 17 November while the duly elected president has increased 1,156,610.

After hinting at conceding defeat to Joe Biden in the US election 2020, Donald Trump is also losing his Twitter followers to the president-elect. According to Factbase, a site committed to following Trump's public utterances, the president has lost 133,902 devotees since 17 November while the duly elected president has increased 1,156,610. Also read: Joe Biden wins Arizona, Wisconsin; Donald Trump alleges corruption In a Sunday tweet, CNN host and media columnist Brian Stelter said that while Twitter supporters were "without a doubt not the main measurement on the planet", it was "still significant: unexpectedly since 2015, Trump is reliably losing adherents". Surely not the most important metric in the world, but still worth noting: For the first time since 2015, Trump is consistently losing followers on here. @FactbaseFeed has measured small declines for 11 days in a row. pic.twitter.com/BZzXJ2D0SJ — Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) November 29, 2020 × Factbase, he called attention to, had "estimated little decreases for 11 days straight". Trump has 88.8 million devotees, to whom he keeps on tweeting ridiculous cases of constituent extortion and hard and fast paranoid notions encompassing his misfortune to Biden. His latest message at the hour of composing went with a video of a group at a convention and stated: "No chance WE LOST THIS ELECTION!" NO WAY WE LOST THIS ELECTION! https://t.co/orOXBaR8uE — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 30, 2020 × Trump has griped about his treatment by Twitter, claiming it is one-sided against traditionalists. Numerous onlookers expect that once he leaves office, the site will quit assuming the best about him with respect to his bogus and fiery messages. Biden has 20.2 million adherents. On Monday morning, his latest message read: "It's an ideal opportunity to take care of the brutal way of talking, bring down the temperature, and hear each out other once more. To gain ground, we should quit regarding our rivals as our adversaries. We are not foes. We are Americans."

Donald Trump losing Twitter followers to Joe Biden

President-elect Joe Biden is turning to longtime Democratic policy staffer Indian-American Neera Tanden to lead his Office of Management and Budget and Cecilia Rouse to head the Council of Economic Advisers, people familiar with the process said. 
 
If confirmed by the United States Senate, Tanden (50) would be the first woman of color to head the influential Office of Management and Budget at the White House. Tanden is currently chief executive of the left-leaning Center for American Progress. 
 
Tanden is the president and CEO of the Center for American Progress and the CEO of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, a progressive think tank founded by President Bill Clinton’s former Chief of Staff &nbsp;and later Counselor to President Obama, John Podesta.

She has also served in both the Obama and Clinton administrations, as well as on presidential campaigns, starting her political and policy career in the Clinton White House when she came in as an associate director for domestic policy and senior policy adviser to then-First Lady Hillary Clinton.

Biden, a Democrat, also plans to pick Wally Adeyemo, a senior international economic adviser during the Obama administration, to serve as Janet Yellen's top deputy at the Treasury Department, the Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Economists Jared Bernstein and Heather Boushey will be nominated to serve as members of the Council of Economic Advisers, the report added.

A representative for the Biden campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Tanden, Rouse, Adeyemo, Bernstein and Boushey could not immediately be reached for comment on Sunday.

Before taking the reins at the Center for American Progress, a centre-left think tank, Tanden was a healthcare adviser in former President Barack Obama's administration. She was also an adviser for Democrat Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.

Rouse, a labour economist at Princeton University, whose research has focused on the economics of education, previously served as a member of Obama's Council of Economic Advisers.

Adeyemo was a senior White House national security adviser for international economics during the Obama administration, as well as a top aide to former Treasury Secretary Jack Lew. He is currently president of the Obama Foundation

Bernstein, one of Biden's closest aides, served as his chief economic adviser as Biden, then the vice president, and Obama fought to pull the United States out of the Great Recession.

He was tasked with calculating and explaining how many jobs the Obama administration's hard-fought recovery act saved in 2009, and was widely expected to have a similarly prominent role in a Biden administration,

Boushey is known for research focusing on how inequality can hinder economic growth. The chief executive and co-founder of the Washington Center for Equitable Growth, a progressive economic think tank, Boushey has been working with the Biden team as an unofficial economic adviser.

Just like Obama did in 2009, Biden will inherit a struggling economy facing serious near-term challenges.

Nearly 14 million Americans, many who used to be employed in the restaurant and hospitality industries, are receiving unemployment benefits that expire on Dec. 26, and the coronavirus' continued surge means there is no telling when they might be able to go back to work.

Biden's economic agenda is likely to focus on getting the country past the coronavirus crisis, both as a health and economic issue. A lot will depend on the passage of a pandemic relief package and the distribution of a vaccine that is expected in early 2021. 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

President-elect Joe Biden is turning to longtime Democratic policy staffer Indian-American Neera Tanden to lead his Office of Management and Budget and Cecilia Rouse to head the Council of Economic Advisers, people familiar with the process said.

President-elect Joe Biden is turning to longtime Democratic policy staffer Indian-American Neera Tanden to lead his Office of Management and Budget and Cecilia Rouse to head the Council of Economic Advisers, people familiar with the process said. If confirmed by the United States Senate, Tanden (50) would be the first woman of color to head the influential Office of Management and Budget at the White House. Tanden is currently chief executive of the left-leaning Center for American Progress. Tanden is the president and CEO of the Center for American Progress and the CEO of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, a progressive think tank founded by President Bill Clinton’s former Chief of Staff and later Counselor to President Obama, John Podesta. She has also served in both the Obama and Clinton administrations, as well as on presidential campaigns, starting her political and policy career in the Clinton White House when she came in as an associate director for domestic policy and senior policy adviser to then-First Lady Hillary Clinton. Biden, a Democrat, also plans to pick Wally Adeyemo, a senior international economic adviser during the Obama administration, to serve as Janet Yellen's top deputy at the Treasury Department, the Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Economists Jared Bernstein and Heather Boushey will be nominated to serve as members of the Council of Economic Advisers, the report added. A representative for the Biden campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Tanden, Rouse, Adeyemo, Bernstein and Boushey could not immediately be reached for comment on Sunday. Before taking the reins at the Center for American Progress, a centre-left think tank, Tanden was a healthcare adviser in former President Barack Obama's administration. She was also an adviser for Democrat Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign. Rouse, a labour economist at Princeton University, whose research has focused on the economics of education, previously served as a member of Obama's Council of Economic Advisers. Adeyemo was a senior White House national security adviser for international economics during the Obama administration, as well as a top aide to former Treasury Secretary Jack Lew. He is currently president of the Obama Foundation Bernstein, one of Biden's closest aides, served as his chief economic adviser as Biden, then the vice president, and Obama fought to pull the United States out of the Great Recession. He was tasked with calculating and explaining how many jobs the Obama administration's hard-fought recovery act saved in 2009, and was widely expected to have a similarly prominent role in a Biden administration, Boushey is known for research focusing on how inequality can hinder economic growth. The chief executive and co-founder of the Washington Center for Equitable Growth, a progressive economic think tank, Boushey has been working with the Biden team as an unofficial economic adviser. Just like Obama did in 2009, Biden will inherit a struggling economy facing serious near-term challenges. Nearly 14 million Americans, many who used to be employed in the restaurant and hospitality industries, are receiving unemployment benefits that expire on Dec. 26, and the coronavirus' continued surge means there is no telling when they might be able to go back to work. Biden's economic agenda is likely to focus on getting the country past the coronavirus crisis, both as a health and economic issue. A lot will depend on the passage of a pandemic relief package and the distribution of a vaccine that is expected in early 2021. (With inputs from agencies)

Joe Biden to nominate Indian-American Neera Tanden as budget chief: Report 

In his first TV interview since losing US Presidential Election 2020, current US President Donald Trump said that he will continue to allege that the elections were a fraud. Trump or his associates are yet to present substantial evidence to back&nbsp;claims of rigged elections. He has faced legal setbacks in various courts in the US. However, he hasn't budged from his position.

"It's not like you're gonna change my mind. My mind will not change in six months," Trump told Fox News interviewer Maria Bartiromo.

"This election was rigged. This election was a total fraud," he claimed, again without backing this up. "We won the election easily."

As he attempts to challenge the validity of elections, case after case has been rejected by judges around the country. The latest rebuff came from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which on Saturday turned down a lawsuit filed by Trump supporters seeking to contest Biden's win in the state.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-supreme-court-weighs-trump-bid-to-bar-illegal-immigrants-from-census-totals-346274">US Supreme Court weighs Trump bid to bar illegal immigrants from census totals</a>

"We're trying to put the evidence in and the judges won't allow us to do it," Trump said. "We are trying. We have so much evidence."

Ignoring the usual boundaries between his office and the judicial and law enforcement system, Trump complained that the Department of Justice and FBI were not helping him.

They are "missing in action," he said, also questioning the point of the Supreme Court if it doesn't intervene.

"We should be heard by the Supreme Court. Something has to be able to get up there. Otherwise, what is the Supreme Court?" he asked.

The 2020 election was not especially close.

Biden won the electoral college vote -- the state-by-state competition deciding the winner -- by 306 to 232. In the popular national vote, which does not decide the result but still has political and symbolic heft, Biden won by 51 to 47 percent.

Losers of US presidential elections traditionally concede almost immediately.

But whether or not Trump ever acknowledges defeat, the Electoral College is all but certain to go through the formal motions of confirming Biden when it meets on December 14 and the Democrat will be sworn in on Inauguration Day January 20.

Even as the clock runs down on his single term, Trump declined to say on Fox News whether he sees an expiry date for his unsuccessful legal campaign.

"I'm not going to say a date," he said.

Asked if he saw a path to victory, he said: "I hope so."

(With AFP inputs)

In his first TV interview since losing US Presidential Election 2020, current US President Donald Trump said that he will continue to allege that the elections were a fraud.

In his first TV interview since losing US Presidential Election 2020, current US President Donald Trump said that he will continue to allege that the elections were a fraud. Trump or his associates are yet to present substantial evidence to back claims of rigged elections. He has faced legal setbacks in various courts in the US. However, he hasn't budged from his position. "It's not like you're gonna change my mind. My mind will not change in six months," Trump told Fox News interviewer Maria Bartiromo. "This election was rigged. This election was a total fraud," he claimed, again without backing this up. "We won the election easily." As he attempts to challenge the validity of elections, case after case has been rejected by judges around the country. The latest rebuff came from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which on Saturday turned down a lawsuit filed by Trump supporters seeking to contest Biden's win in the state. Also Read | US Supreme Court weighs Trump bid to bar illegal immigrants from census totals "We're trying to put the evidence in and the judges won't allow us to do it," Trump said. "We are trying. We have so much evidence." Ignoring the usual boundaries between his office and the judicial and law enforcement system, Trump complained that the Department of Justice and FBI were not helping him. They are "missing in action," he said, also questioning the point of the Supreme Court if it doesn't intervene. "We should be heard by the Supreme Court. Something has to be able to get up there. Otherwise, what is the Supreme Court?" he asked. The 2020 election was not especially close. Biden won the electoral college vote -- the state-by-state competition deciding the winner -- by 306 to 232. In the popular national vote, which does not decide the result but still has political and symbolic heft, Biden won by 51 to 47 percent. Losers of US presidential elections traditionally concede almost immediately. But whether or not Trump ever acknowledges defeat, the Electoral College is all but certain to go through the formal motions of confirming Biden when it meets on December 14 and the Democrat will be sworn in on Inauguration Day January 20. Even as the clock runs down on his single term, Trump declined to say on Fox News whether he sees an expiry date for his unsuccessful legal campaign. "I'm not going to say a date," he said. Asked if he saw a path to victory, he said: "I hope so." (With AFP inputs)

Donald Trump still refuses to budge from election fraud claims

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